Chinese President Hu Jintao is likely to commit to reducing carbon use but will not make any promise reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing analysts. In his address to a UN summit on climate change, Hu is expected to say China will include carbon intensity targets in the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan, for the period 2011-2015. This would involve using less carbon per dollar of economic product, but would not result in a reduction in emissions over all. Although a carbon intensity target wouldn’t limit China’s coal consumption, it would encourage the country to burn fuel more efficiently and rely more on cleaner alternatives. It may also set up a framework for future caps. Yvo de Boer, head of the UN climate change body, said he expected Hu’s address to turn China into the "world leader" on combating climate change.
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