China is directing 2,000 industrial companies to shut obsolete factories to meet national energy intensity targets. Five years ago, Beijing pledged to cut by a fifth its industry's energy intensity, a measure of energy consumed by unit of output. That goal looks in jeopardy, mainly because the $586bn stimulus package rolled out in 2008 favoured China's biggest and dirtiest industries. In the aftermath of the Lehman shock, China chose growth over the climate. Now the panic is over, there are tentative signs that it is planning another push to improve the efficiency of its smokestack economy. That is to be welcomed, so far as it goes.
中國正指示2000家工業企業關閉落後工廠，以實現全國能源強度目標。五年前，北京方面承諾將中國工業的能源強度（每單位產出所消耗的能源）削減五分之一。要達到這一目標，現在看來有點難度，主要是因爲2008年出臺的5860億美元刺激方案，對中國一些規模最大、汙染最嚴重的行業有利。經歷了雷曼兄弟(Lehman)危機之後，中國選擇將經濟成長置於氣候問題之上。如今，恐慌已經過去，初步跡象顯示，中國政府正計劃再次推動汙染嚴重的本國經濟提高能效。就此而言，這是可喜的。