Beijing launches mass energy-saving campaign

China has launched a new campaign to mobilize citizens to reduce energy use and pollution, the Financial Times reported. It includes a TV program that showcases "energy saving champions" and calls on people to wash their clothes by hand once a month and cut down on alcohol consumption. Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, who launched the campaign, said that the sustainability of China's economic and social development were at stake and demanded that people "take spontaneous action to address the issue." The country's economy grew 11.9% in the second quarter of the year, but power production rose by about 16% during the same period. Rising power demand – which is met through an increasing reliance on coal-fired power stations – is driven by the expansion of energy intensive industries such as steel and construction rather than individual consumption.