The government guidelines, which were released on Tuesday, said, among other things, that "by 2020, China aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40-45 percent from their 2005 level, and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent."
The regulations come amid incessant efforts by the Chinese government to resolve environmental protection-related issues.
Last year, Beijing declared a "war against pollution," and a revised environmental law took effect in China on January 1. It envisages targeting polluters and officials who fake environmental data.
During his annual address in March, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang pledged "a firm and unrelenting approach to ensure blue skies, clear waters, and sustainable development."
According to Xinhua, only eight of 74 Chinese cities managed to comply with national clean air standards last year. Xinhua also quoted a recent official report as saying that 60 percent of ground water surveyed was described as "bad" or "very bad".
