As China is the largest greenhouse gas emitter globally, its climate policy is crucial to achieving climate neutrality. The Asian giant is often accused of not taking action to counteract global warming despite the fact that it has introduced many different tools and policies to deal with the problem.
On the other hand, China is also the largest global producer of renewable energy (wind and solar) and it has been the largest domestic and outbound investor in renewables since 2013. In 2020, China was responsible for introducing nearly half of all global renewable power capacity, more than ever before. According to Our World in Data, in 2019 in its energy mix, China included around 11% of renewables which was comprised of hydropower (7.99%), wind (2.55%), solar (1.41%), and other renewables (0.65%).
China’s climate goals
Although China is often blamed for a lack of action in curbing global warming, the government has introduced a number of measures aiming to address this issue. China has declared that it intends to become climate neutral by 2060 and is planning to reach a peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 with 80% of all emissions scheduled to peak before 2025. However, no declaration has yet been forthcoming as to what the level of emissions China will peak at will be.
By 2030 China is set to have 25% of renewables in its energy mix and have reduced its carbon intensity per unit of Gross Domestic Product by 65%. It is also aiming to install solar and wind energy capacity to reach 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030 as well as committing to plant about six billion cubic meters of forest within the same timeframe.
China has not joined the Global Methane Pledge which was co-signed by over 100 countries that committed to slash methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Nevertheless, China has announced the preparation of a national action plan for methane which it has said will shortly be made public. During the world’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Chinese President Xi Jinping also declared that China would stop financing overseas coal-powered plants.
China has also committed to implement green building standards by 2025 which will apply to all new buildings and has decreed that the rooftops of new public buildings and factories should be covered with solar panels. Aside from this, about 40% of new vehicles sold in 2030 will be powered by ‘new energy’ or clean energy, i.e., electric, hybrid, or hydrogen.
China was able to meet nine of the 15 quantitative goals it announced in 2015 ahead of time and has decreased the country’s coal consumption from 70% to 57% over the last 10 years. However, the current Chinese climate policy is not aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement which would mean that China would have to reach peak emissions by 2025 in order to achieve the 1.5 C target.
Climate risks China faces
Chinese climate policy is one of the most significant factors that will determine the extent to which humanity will be able to curb global warming. At the same time, China itself is dependent on how quickly emissions can be cut as it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. In the summer of 2021, Henan province was hit by heavy rains which subsequently caused flooding that affected 14.5 million people, killed 302, and caused US$18 billion in damage. However, the worst is yet to come with scientists predicting that many Chinese coastal cities will be submerged as a result of rising sea levels, including China’s financial capital Shanghai. Moreover, China will experience more heavy rains, devastating floods, heatwaves, and droughts.
