High ranking UN official on climate change =\= Chinese state government.
Thanks for playing!
So he goes on a tour of China led by their government, they see a couple solar plants and initiatives, hey China must care about this! That doesn't scream window-dressing to you? Meanwhile where the actual work is getting done and to satisfy their energy needs, coal plants are spewing out pollution in the background.
Is this what you're basing the UN comment on?
A senior United Nations official said he is confident that China's air pollution problems will be alleviated as the country embarks on a transition toward a greener economy.
"Looking at China's efforts to address pollution in light of its environmental policy of the last 10 years, I must say I could imagine that it is possible," Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary-general, told China Daily.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-11/13/content_17100320.htm
So yea, they're talking about it, that's what politicians are best at. Solar energy is nowhere near prolific or efficient enough to support an economy the size of China. I agree that a solution needs to be found, but a lot of these projects are just to make people feel better about themselves, they don't actually accomplish goals.
"China currently generates nearly four-fifths of its electricity from coal-fired power stations.[23] It is progressing with the construction of 562 new coal-fired plants over the next few years.[37] In 2007, John Ashton, of the UK Foreign Office, informed the BBC that China was building about two power stations every week.
About 79% of China's electricity was produced with coal between 2004 and 2010. Coal electricity increased from 1,713 TWh in 2004 to 3,273 TWh in 2010."
"Approximately 7% of China's energy was from renewable sources in 2006, a figure targeted to rise to 10% by 2010 and to 16% by 2020." So yes, they are getting better, but here are only so many rivers where they can build Hydroelectric dams, a renewable resource that can actually produce significant amounts of power. It's nice that they're starting to think about it, but make no mistake, they still produce a ton of pollution, and will continue to produce that for the foreseeable future.