The earth’s climate are being changed unprecedentedly by the greenhouse
gases. Since UK firstly proposed the idea of low carbon economy, various
interpretations have been given by international and national scholars concerning the
low carbon economy definition, achievement possibilities and market values, etc.
Although they are different in the perspectives and concepts, one thing is the same:
clean, healthy and sustainable development can be realized by technology and system
innovation to minimize the green gas emission and maximize the economic and social
growth. The development of low carbon economy aims to mitigate climate change. In
the context of low carbon economy, enterprises are facing with influences of
international policy, investor, national regulatory, customer, peers, sub-sector and
supply chain. Shrewd companies recognize that opportunity is approaching and they
are moving to get reward. They have learned to cut their contribution in global
warming and act faster than regulators and become competitive leaders. They
developed new capabilities which mainly refer to organisational learning and
approaches for continuous improvement and innovation. Consequent responsible brand
image promotes them to prosper. China’s rapid economic development causes high
demand for fast growth in energy production and consumption. Currently, China’s
GHG emission now is world Number 2. In process of developing low carbon economy
in China, the main corporate environmental responsibilities—cultivating low carbon
industry, establishing the supporting system, accelerating the related technology
development and application, promoting clean manufacturing—need to be taken.
Keywords: Benefits, Climate change, Corporate environmental responsibility
(CER), Low carbon economy, Opportunity, Pressure, Response.
