energy research institute. Since 2005, China has reduced carbon

 HARTFORD, Conn. -- Big East presidents have agreed on a policy that would bar Connecticuts mens basketball team from next seasons conference tournament because the Huskies havent qualified academically for the 2013 NCAA tournament. Spokesman John Paquette confirmed Friday that Big East presidents agreed in principal to the policy during a meeting on March 7 in New York. "Our presidents conceptually agreed that any team in any sport that is ineligible for post-season NCAA competition that they would not compete in the conference tournament or championship," he said. Paquette said official language likely will be adopted in May, with the policy in place next season. Connecticut president Susan Herbst has said she favours high academic standards in collegiate athletics, but believes banning UConn from next years NCAA post-season would punish good students for the actions of those who are no longer at the university. Herbst on Friday referred questions on the Big Easts policy to new athletic director Warde Manuel, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Under rules approved in October, the defending national champions would be academically ineligible in 2013, because the NCAA plans to use data from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, when Connecticut scores were too low to meet the threshold. The NCAAs Committee on Academic Performance has been discussing whether it would be possible to use data from 2010-11 and 2011-12 to determine eligibility for all NCAA teams in the future. But committee chairman Walter Harrison told The Associated Press last week that issue may not be resolved before July. Connecticut has been pursuing an appeal that could result in a waiver of the sanctions, arguing that it has made changes that have resulted in significant improvements in the programs academic performance. Connecticut, which finished this season 20-14 and lost in its opening game of the NCAA tournament, will not officially find out whether it is banned from the next years post-season until May when the latest Academic Progress Rate report is released. Under the new rules, a school must have a two-year average score of 930 or a four-year average of 900 on the NCAAs annual APR, which measures the academic performance of student athletes. Connecticut mens basketball scored 826 on the APR for 2009-10. School officials have said it will come in at just above 975 for 2010-11. The scores are expected to be higher in 2011-12. Harrison, who also is the president of the University of Hartford, has said its not clear if a change in reporting is feasible, given the number of schools, programs and athletes involved in reporting data to the NCAA, the varying schedules of the schools and the time-consuming nature of compiling the data. On Thursday, NCAA president Mark Emmert told reporters at the Final Four in New Orleans that the governing body would like to use the most recent data possible "for which we have comparability across all institutions." But he could not say when the issue of UConns eligibility for the tournament would be resolved. "The reality is this is the first time weve gone through this kind of appeal," he said. "The committee is going to have to look at it and make a decision. The time frame within which that happens is entirely up to them as they work through it." . Hockey Canada says the tournament made a profit of at least $22 million, which will go into hockey programs and facilities. The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance assessed the economic impact of the tournament at $86. . The 18-year-old from Milwaukee, Wis., only played three games last season with the OHLs Sarnia Sting because of an knee injury. . - Connecticut accepted a bid Sunday to play Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo in the International Bowl in Toronto. . So when FIFA President Sepp Blatter told me in Ottawa on Friday that he believes the the country is ready for such a big event, some of the obstacles that seem to prevent that happening appeared to get slightly smaller. . - Shea McClellin knows he has a lot to prove after being drafted 19th overall by the Chicago Bears. CPI report shows consumption rise in construction, transport BEIJING - Construction and transport have become Chinas largest energy-consuming sectors, according to research released in Beijing on Friday. A study by Climate Policy Initiative shows energy use in the building sector grew 28 percent from 2005 to 2008 due to rapid urbanization, with carbon emissions rising 25 percent. Energy consumption in the transport sector also grew 25 percent over the same period and increased rapidly after 2008 due to the 4-trillion-yuan ($608 billion) economic stimulus package, which mainly went to infrastructure construction. The changes did not hamper China from achieving its goal in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent, said the study report. The country reduced its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 19.06 percent at the end of 2010, Wei Jianguo, secretary-general of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a high-level business think tank, and former vice-minister of commerce, said on Friday. However, consumption among the construction and transportation industries will put pressure on future plans, with the primary goal in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) to reduce energy usage per unit of GDP by 16 percent, according to Dai Yande, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commissions energy research institute. Since 2005, China has reduced carbon dioxidee emissions by 1.dddddddddddd8 billion tons through increasing energy efficiency, said He Jiankun, director of the State Low-carbon Energy Laboratory. However, if the country maintains GDP growth of 10 percent and energy efficiency continues to rise at the current rate, by 2015 carbon dioxide emissions in China will reach 10 billion tons, equal to the total for the United States and European Union. By 2020, the amount will reach 13 billion tons, added He. The report said further enhancement in energy efficiency in the next five years will also impose higher costs, threatening economic development. Dai recommended that, besides developing clean energy, China should gradually shift from being the factory of the world to developing its own brand or culture economy. Su Wei, Chinas top climate negotiator, also emphasized that the development of low-carbon energy, enhancement of energy efficiency, transition of economic structure and promotion of forest carbon sinks are the countrys best solution for saving energy and reducing emissions. China has contributed much in the fight against climate change and announced it will reduce the intensity of carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels. Climate Policy Initiative assesses, diagnoses and supports national efforts to achieve low-carbon growth, with offices in San Francisco, Berlin, Venice, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro. China Daily (China Daily 02262011 page2) ' ' '