About
Wenjiang, located in the central of Sichuan Basin in southwest China, is a district-level government of Chengdu, the center of the west part of China. Wenjiang has 10 towns and 182 villages with a total area of 277 square kilometers, a population of 349 000 and green coverage rate of 48 per cent.
Since 2000, Wenjiang has attached great importance to the coordinated development of environment and economy and has gained impressive achievements in this regard. In 2007, it won "The International Awards for Liveable Communities", acquired “Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment” in 2008, and in 2009, got an award for “Chinese Featured Charming City ".
Over the past 10 years, Wenjiang has planted 130 square kilometers of greening on its 277 square kilometers of total area. Among them, 86.58 million square meters were trees and flowers, which has accounted for one-third of the total flowers and trees area of Sichuan province in which Wenjiang is located. It has been a greening miracle. It has effectively offset most carbon emission in this region and, to some extent, absorbed nearby mega-city - Chengdu’s carbon emission.
Since 2000, the Wenjiang government has inspected the emissions and pollution of enterprises annually. With the efforts of the government, enterprises and citizens, 163 high-emission and high-pollution enterprises has been shut down and 292 enterprises’ equipments and production process has been upgraded in 9 years. In 2008, Wenjiang energy consumption per 10 000 Yuan GDP has been dropped from 1.33 tons of standard coal into 0.75 ton.
Efficient utilization of solar energy brought a lot of clean energy to the city. Wenjiang has promoted the usage of solar energy as an important kind of energy from 2005. From water-heating of every household, the public lighting to electricity for enterprises’ production, solar energy has become one of the most important energies for life and production in Wenjiang. Furthermore, Wenjiang is also trying to renovate and construct solar-based communities. Solar energy will provide and replace 83.5 million kilowatts of electricity by October 2009, which accounts for 6.4 per cent of the total urban electricity consumption in Wenjiang.
Wenjiang has invested 50 million U.S. dollars each year onto the energy-saving renovation of the city's main communities and buildings, that is, upgrading their dilapidated power supply lines and promoting the usage of high energy and low consume electrical appliances such as lamps from 2005. Within four years, it has renovated 760 000 square meters of residential buildings and 380 000 square meters of office space, which has reduced 37.5 per cent of energy consumption.
Achievements
1, With the development of recycling economy and ecological city, the promotion of the energy-saving and the reduction of greenhouse gas emission, the total carbon emission has been declining even though Wenjiang is in the process of rapid development of industrialization and urbanization;
2, The utilization of new materials and new facilities has reduced the energy consumption in industrial production, which leads to the reduction of production cost and the enhancement of production capability. Compared with 2000, Wenjiang energy consumption per 10 000 (Yuan) GDP fell by 43.6 per cent. In nine years, it has achieved a nearly 300 per cent of economic growth and 8.9 per cent of reduction of urban carbon emission;
3, With the utilization of solar energy and the large-scale upgrade of power supply lines and devices in residential buildings, office buildings and hotel facilities, 160 million kilowatt electricity has been saved and 159.52 million kilograms of carbon emission has been reduced within 5 years in Wenjiang;
4, 73.3337 million square meters of greening area has not only neutralized most local carbon emission, but also has absorbed a large amount of carbon emission of Chengdu city.
Strategy
Wenjiang will become a "zero carbon-emission" city in 2015. By this time, Wenjiang’s total green area will be more than 160 square km, which can absorb more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, while the total carbon emissions of Wenjiang will be close to 1 million tons (Assuming the total population of Wenjiang will be 380 000 in 2015). Therefore, Wenjiang is able to achieve "carbon neutrality"
1. By 2015, Wenjiang energy consumption per 10 000 Yuan GDP will be reduced to 0.56 ton of standard coal, 22.2 per cent less than that in 2009;
a) By 2010, energy consumption per 10 000 Yuan GDP will be reduced to 0.69 tons of standard coal;
b) By 2012, energy consumption per 10 000 Yuan GDP will be reduced to 0.62 tons of standard coal;
c) By 2014, energy consumption per 10 000 Yuan GDP will be reduced to 0.59 tons of standard coal.
2. By 2015, the reduction of per capita carbon emission in Wenjiang will reach 50 per cent and per capita carbon emission will fall to 3.55 tons
1) By 2010, per capita carbon emission will drop to 5.3 tons;
2) By 2012, per capita carbon emission will drop to 4.5 tons;
3) By 2014, per capita carbon emission will drop to 3.8 tons.
4) By 2015, per capita carbon emission will drop to 3.55 tons.
3. By 2015, Wenjiang green coverage will exceed 60 per cent with more than 160 square kilometers of green area.
1) By 2010, the green coverage rate will reach 50 per cent;
2) By 2012, the green coverage rate will reach 55 per cent;
3) By 2014, the green coverage rate will reach 58 per cent;
4) By 2015, the green coverage rate will reach 60 per cent.
"Carbon Absorption" Plan
By 2015, Wenjiang plans to invest 150 million U.S. dollars on average through government investment and social investment each year to enlarge and maintain the green area with an average annual increase of 5.5 million square meters of green area. 27 million square meters of green land will be cultivated in 5 years;
1. The key green areas include the dense populated areas, main roads, mountains, urban fringe area, the interchange area between Wenjiang and Chengdu, and river banks with a total area of 173 square kilometers;
2. Combined with the existing landscaping, it is planed to construct a 156 kilometers long and an average 150 meters wide green corridor around the city;
3. While renovating the ecology along the Jinma River and the Jiang’an River in Wenjiang, we also are going to construct 50 meters wide ecological green corridors of 42.7 kilometers long and 6 kilometers long along each river.
4. Planting trees along all roads in the city. No less than 50 meters wide green belt will be planned to plant along the main roads in order to absorb carbon dioxide emission of vehicles;
5. Eight Country Forest Parks will be built in the outskirts of the city so that the total forest coverage of Wenjiang will reach 38 square kilometers;
6. Upgrading the existing green system in 92 parks and building extra 18 city parks, so that the total number of parks will be 110 with the total area of more than 50 square kilometers.
“The Reduction of Carbon Emission” Plan
1. By 2015, the low-carbon High-tech & New-tech industry will account for 85 per cent of total Wenjiang industrial output. Resource-saving industry is the key developing industry while other high energy-consuming, heavy polluting enterprises have been eliminated or closed, including small iron and steel plants, small thermal power plants, cement and paper manufactures. The leading industries in Wenjiang have gone through the process of transformation and upgrading by applying the cutting-edge and advanced technologies, including modern energy-saving technologies, water-saving technologies, clean production technologies and resources comprehensive utilization technologies. The application of new technologies has achieved remarkable results in many fields, such as the recycling usage of heat, blast furnace gas power generation and energy cascade utilization;
2. Expanding the scope of utilization of solar energy. From 2010 onwards, the Government will invest annually no less than 50 million U.S. dollars to promote the use of solar energy; solar energy will supply all urban public lighting by 2015; 10 000 households will be subsidized to install solar water heaters annually; solar-energy-based theaters, office buildings, communities, playgrounds, libraries will be put into place as examples of the utilization of solar energy in the region; and a solar power station with a generation capacity of 100 000 kilowatts is going to be built;
Examples:
Sixteen classrooms of Wenjiang Jinma Town Central Primary School have installed wall-mounted solar heaters. Those heaters can warm up these classrooms in the winter and provide hot water in other seasons. At the mean time, students’ awareness of environmental protection and resource conservation has also enhanced. At present, solar lighting and signal facilities are set up at most intersections of the public road. Moreover, a total of 60 kilowatts of garden lamps, lawn lamps and signs are set up.
3. A series of pilot projects of utilization of low-consumption, green building, and buildings with broad-scale use of renewable energy will be put into place. It is planed to set up 7.9 million square meters of energy-efficient buildings in this region by 2015.
Examples:
Wenjiang Chaoyang Community began to renovate low-power consumption project in December 2008. 310 000 U.S. dollars has been invested in this project by the Government, Chengdu Environmental Protection Foundation and some manufacturers. This project covered the modification of power lines and substation facilities, the change of using solar energy and energy-saving lamps for public lighting and the modification of insulation windows and doors. This project was completed in April 2009. According to statistics, the low-power consumption modification has reduced 130 kilowatts of energy consumption within 7 months and residents thereby have saved 120 000 U.S. dollars in electricity cost.
4. Light rail and metro will be constructed across Wenjiang and the main district of Chengdu; extra 16 bus routes enable wenjiang’s public transportation coverage rate to reach 96 per cent; great efforts will be put to promote public transportation as the basic model of transportation; and transportation system suitable for walking and bicycling will be built, rather than automobile-based urban transport system right now. The specific approaches are expanding bicycle paths and walking trails, vigorously developing rapid transit and exclusive bus lanes and improving transportation trips etc.; it is planned to invest two million U.S. dollars each year to replace the buses with zero-emissions electric vehicles. By 2015, 80 per cent of the buses will be replaced.
5. During 2010 to 2015, 180 million U.S. dollars will be invested to transform urban main roads, such as providing exclusive bike lanes along main roads; transforming a part of motor vehicle parking lot in the commercial, office and residential areas into convenient bicycle parking lot to encourage more people to use bicycles;
6. Promoting extensively the high-tech mature technology of Straw Gasification. 150 Straw Gasification Stations will be set up in the rural areas within 4 years to collect straws and turn them into clean gas for the lives of Wenjiang peasants. It will replace the traditional petroleum, gasoline and fuel. This fund of this project will be completed at the end of 2013 and it will benefit nearly 200,000 rural residents and reduce the usage of 450 tons of petroleum and gasoline per year;
Examples:
In June 5, 2009, on World Environment Day, the first straw gasification station was set up and began to function in Wenjiang’s Chuangye Village. The straw gasification station has a total of nine pressures. Two bags of corn sticks and three bags of rice husk put by two workers can produce 180 cubic meters clean combustible gas everyday, which basically met the needs of villagers. This straw gasification station enables villagers to bid farewell to the traditional "smoky" way of cooking and heating and to live a modern green lifestyle of "two people light a fire (usually two operators in the straw gasification station), the whole village can cook. Only fragrant dishes smell, but no smoke ". According to this village’s statistics, before the use of straw gas, each household with four family members need to consume the village has a family of four families with a monthly average consumption of 10 kg liquefied petroleum gas and pay 60 Yuan per month for gas expenditures, but now only 20 Yuan a month is enough.
7. In three years, three million U.S. dollars will be invested annually to speed up the replacement and elimination of old electrical appliances. Citizens can redeem a 15 per cent discount of old electrical appliances while purchasing new energy-saving appliances designated by the Government. The Government will disassemble and reuse the collected old electrical appliances. This plan will replace 80 000 households with energy-saving appliances by 2012, which will save 120 000 kilowatts of energy consumption and reduce 119 640 kilograms of carbon emission a day.
Example:
In June 2009, Wenjiang launched the "Old Appliance Recycling Discount Voucher" plan. Citizens can redeem a 20 per cent discount of old electrical appliances while purchasing new energy-saving appliances that reached government energy saving standards. After implementing this plan for 5 months, the government has collected 8 652 old electrical appliances and 8.1 per cent more citizens began to use energy-saving appliances. Centralized collection and disassemble of old electrical appliances has greatly reduced the environmental hazards caused by those e-waste.
8. A green fertilizer plant will be built with a production capacity of 20 tons per day to collect plant garbage and turn them into fertilizer so as to reach Wenjiang’s objective of zero plant garbage incineration and to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide due to burning;