What are the specific steps China should take to become more efficient in energy consumption?

It takes a brave person to tell a billion person country how to improve their energy efficiency. However coming to development later, China can decide not to make the mistakes that more developed countries made, and in some cases continue to make.

Most Chinese do not yet own cars. So orienting the auto industry to more fuel efficient vehicles makes sense and will not upset established purchase patterns, such as buying large SUV's and luxury cars in the US. Likewise as Chinese upgrade their housing, energy saving techniques can be part of the building codes. It may be easier and less expensive to install solar and wind to new construction than to retrofit old structures. China can also upgrade rail facilities and public transportation which may keep people out of cars altogether.

Higher energy use is a part of development worldwide and is part of the rise in standard of living sought by all. In China's case, allowing the energy use to be from burning coal is not a good alternative. Using renewable energy and nuclear are alternatives that should receive increased attention.

The Chinese do not have a difficult problem they have a extremely large one. At some point, someone has to recognize that the only solution is one where individuals independently generate some portion of the energy they consume. In the real world, this means converting solar and wind into electricity twenty-four a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days per year. When more people are personally responsible for the production, less fossil fuel needs to be extracted and burned.

Prognosticatiors are correct in their assessments about joining micro generation production to public grids. The Chinese have a rather unique opportunity to accomplish the redefinition of energy source because they have the requisite control and authority over their population to deploy a mandated requiremen to produce. Equal attention should be given to the integration of electronic communications so as to denecessitate the need for personal transportation over long distances. It's not possible to eliminate travel via better online communications, but it is possible to elimiate a lot of the redundance that comes from inaccuratecies in orders and shipments.

This is the prospect that the Chinese have no choice about. If they do not take this path, they might as well get ready for a protracted and particularly vicious civil war.

First and foremost step in my view is keep population control, and raise the education level, then the environment protection consciousness among all its citizens.