Chinese leaders met in Beijing at the weekend to put the finishing touches to the country’s 12th five-year plan, an economic blueprint that will include targets for economic growth, income levels, energy efficiency and carbon emissions.

The plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Beijing ends on Monday, and will put forward the five-year plan for formal approval at next year’s National People’s Congress.

One of the most significant aspects of the plan will be new targets for energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction. China is the world’s largest consumer of energy, according to the International Energy Agency, and the speed with which it has embraced alternative energies such as solar, wind and nuclear power has had a profound effect on those industries.