Civil servants fail to save energy
14 June 2006
China has ordered civil servants to go without their cars, climb stairs and give up air conditioning for a day as part of an energy-saving awareness campaign, international media reported. The one-day ban targets the 7 million civil servants in the country that consume about 5% of the country's total electricity every year, about the same amount that 780 million farmers use. The order followed news that China relies on coal for two-thirds of its energy and pollution from plants and factories is fouling the air. The ban did not really get off the ground. Some state media said the State Council ordered the ban but its information office refused to confirm it and other ministries would not comment on it either.