China has issued an action plan to promote resource conservation and efficient use of resources, safeguard national resource security and accelerate the green transition of its economy and society, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Wednesday.

According to the plan, China aims to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by around 10 percent, water consumption per unit of GDP by 10 percent, and construction land use per unit of GDP by 15 percent, by 2030 from 2025 levels. The plan was jointly issued by the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other government departments.

It also calls for continued reductions in grain loss rates across all stages of the grain industry chain and an increase in the annual recycling volume of major recyclable resources to 510 million tonnes by 2030.

It sets out key tasks in seven areas, covering energy conservation and efficiency improvement, water conservation, grain conservation and food waste reduction, economical and intensive land use, mineral resource development and utilization, raw material conservation and recycling, and fostering a culture of resource conservation among the public.

The action plan also specifies supporting measures in areas such as standards, policies, regulatory oversight and technological innovation.

Comprehensive resource conservation can help reduce carbon emissions, improve the ecological environment and support high-quality development, said Li Zhong, deputy director of the Energy Research Institute under the NDRC, in a co-authored article.

China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Achieving these goals requires changes on both the supply and demand sides, including accelerating the development of non-fossil energy and promoting the conservation and efficient use of resources, Li said.

Efforts to conserve energy, water, grain, land, minerals and materials essentially help reduce energy demand and curb the increase in emissions at the source by reducing wasteful consumption and inefficient inputs, Li said.

She added that advancing comprehensive resource conservation can help promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and economic growth in a coordinated manner, while lowering the overall costs of the green and low-carbon transition.