Some thoughts on a low carbon economy were proposed to solve the contradiction between economic development and the demands for raw materials and the resulting environment deterioration. From a consideration of China's energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission patterns, it is suggested that work on this should be started from five aspects: restructuring the manufacturing sector, restructuring energy supplies, using scientific and technological innovations, optimizing consumption processes, and support from government policies. This paper discussed possible means to implement measures from those five aspects and analyzed some potential technological innovations.