SHENZHEN made great leaps in energy efficiency and environmental quality in the past two years, according to a recent study.

    Using an index developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Accenture PLC., a multinational management consulting company, 100 cities were examined for their “resource and environmental sustainability.” Several indicators were used, such as water and energy consumed per GDP unit, the recycling rate of industrial waste, emissions of sulfides and the density of fine particulates in the air and carbon emissions per capita.

    Beijing and Shanghai scored poorly on the index. Of the cities examined, Beijing dropped to 19th, from 15th two years ago, and Shanghai moved from 22nd to 18th. Beijing was dragged down because of its air quality.

    The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, as well as the Chengdu-Chongqing cluster saw deteriorating environments over the past two years.

    The study called for a greater role for information technology to curb emissions. It estimated that using digital technology could cut annual global carbon emission by 12.1 billion tons by 2030, predicted annual emission by 2030 are 35 billion tons.

    Li Guanghai, managing director of Accenture Strategy in Greater China, noted that implementing carbon-reduction measures, such as replacing coal with gas, would result in losses for many industrial firms that burn cheap coal. The solution is to reduce the cost of new technologies, Li said.

    “Technology is evolving really fast,” Li said. “What’s great about technology is it helps get rid of boundaries between industries. For example, Uber is changing the roles of consumers, taxi drivers and regulators while making self-ownership of cars less necessary.”

    Many of Accenture’s multinational clients are actively embracing technology to save energy and reduce costs, he said. For example, tire manufacturer Michelin installs sensors on its tires to monitor trucks’ real-time fuel consumption. The data is used to optimize driving behavior and reduce fuel use. Michelin is also leasing, instead of selling, its tires to improve efficiency.

    Major Chinese companies are exploring various technologies to reduce energy consumption, such as the “smart” electrical power grid, he said.

    (China Daily)