Think tank: China could reduce CO2 emissions by a third with new UN targets by 2035
A Thursday report by an environmental think-tank suggested that China's carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to climate change and are a major contributor to global warming, could drop by a third in 2035 if the country makes more ambitious commitments at the United Nations.
In order to meet their Paris obligations, countries must submit new and stronger "nationally defined contributions" (NDCs), to the U.N. before February in order to set goals for 2035. China's pledges, as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, will be scrutinised closely.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki (CREA) said that China is on track to achieve its climate goals for 2030 with relative ease. It could now capitalize on its renewable energy advantage and implement policies which will reduce emissions by at least 30 percent by 2035.
Belinda Schape, CREA's China Policy Analyst, says that total CO2 levels are already in "structural decrease" after falling this past year. There are also positive signs that climate policy is now back on the agenda.
She said that "despite these trends, it is possible for Chinese policymakers to underestimate China's climate goals for 2035 due to current policy inertia."
China has not revealed any specifics about its NDC plans. Li Chuangjun, a top official in renewable energy, told reporters that the country was "working hard" on establishing 2035 targets.
Li stated that China's climate goals for the long term are set and that its path to net zero emission will be determined by China alone. "China will never be influenced" by anyone else, Li added.
Climate Action Tracker (an independent initiative that evaluates countries' progress towards the Paris Goal of keeping temperature increases within 1.5 degrees Celsius) has described China’s last NDC submission for 2021 as “highly inadequate”.
China is classified by the U.N. to be a developing nation and is therefore not required to make absolute reductions in emissions. In its last NDC submission, in 2022, it said that "every effort" had been made to advance climate change.
China has already achieved its goal of bringing emissions to their peak "before 2030". The goal to increase the wind and solar power to 1,200 Gigawatts before 2030 was also met six years earlier, following record numbers of new installations.
CREA stated that China is capable of setting an ambitious target of 4,500 GW for wind and solar power by 2035 and reducing total emissions in the power sector by at least 30 percent.
The emissions of steel and cement could be reduced by 45% and 20 %, respectively. CREA stated that it is also possible to achieve strong targets for reducing other greenhouse gases, such as methane.
China has ordered that its steel mills undergo "low carbon renovation", which will reduce emissions by approximately 53 million metric tonnes by next year. (Reporting and editing by Christopher Cushing; David Stanway)
(source: Reuters)
