Chinese companies more active on climate change: CDP

Chinese firms are taking more initiatives in addressing climate change issues and improving their emissions performance, a survey showed Wednesday, noting that nearly 90 percent of the firms surveyed have integrated action to mitigate climate change into their corporate business strategy.

A total of 45 out of the 100 domestic firms surveyed responded to questions regarding climate management and strategy, showed the survey by CDP, a London-based global carbon reporting organization. The number was up from 32 firms, or 40.6 percent, last year.

"Improvement in the quantity and quality of the companies' responses directly reflects their increasing initiative in addressing climate change," the survey said.

Internally, 71 percent of responding companies have named individuals or committees to be generally responsible for climate change issues, according to the survey.

Most Chinese companies have been passive in the past in terms of disclosing environment information but the situation is gradually changing, largely due to the launch of emission trading in China, Richard Chou, sustainability leader of Ernst & Young, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Disclosing environment information is the first step to get involved in emission trading, he said.

By the end of August, seven provinces and cities in a pilot program have launched emission trading exchanges and engaged 2,247 firms.

Li Gao, deputy director general of the Department of Climate Change at the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Global Times Wednesday that a nationwide emission trading exchange is under development, which will involve more companies.

Chinese firms have gradually realized the importance of disclosing environment information but the share of the companies responding to CDP survey is still behind that in the rest of the world, Sue Howells, co-chief operating officer of CDP, told the Global Times Wednesday.