China commits to carbon reduction target for the first time
China has set a target to cut carbon emissions for the first time, with President Xi Jinping saying the country would reduce its carbon emissions by 7-10% by 2035, while “striving to do better”.
Speaking at the UN general assembly in New York, Xi also said that the country would work to increase its wind and solar power capacity by six times from its 2020 levels within the next 10 years, with the aim to help increase the country’s share of non-fossil fuels in domestic energy consumption to over 30%.
The announcement comes as COP30 president André Aranha Corrêa do Lago called for more coordinated global action on climate change and efforts to connect climate ambition with development opportunities.
In a Letter from the Presidency ahead of the conference, which takes place from 10-21 November in Brazil, Corrêa do Lago said that “despite outstanding breakthroughs and progress, we are still off track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement”. He added that his aim is to “bring a new dynamic” to global climate action that aligns the efforts of governments, businesses and civil society in coordinated action.
Read more: Majority of citizens support development of global climate policy, study finds
In a video message to the UN last week, Xi committed China to cut emissions for the first time, as opposed to previous pledges to limit the growth in emissions.
He said: “Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of our times. Despite some countries going against the trend, the international community should stay on the right track, maintain unwavering confidence, unwavering action, and undiminished efforts.”
The announcement comes after US president Donald Trump said in January that he would withdraw the country from the Paris climate change treaty. Speaking at the General Assembly, Trump called green energy a “scam” and told attendees that embracing it was going to fail.
“The entire globalist concept of asking successful, industrialised nations to inflict pain on themselves and radically disrupt their entire societies must be rejected completely and totally – and it must be immediate,” he said.
Read more: COP30 president calls for ‘global NDC’ to spur collective action on climate change
Sign up: The Global Government Forum newsletter provides the latest news, interviews and features on AI, data, workforce, and sustainability in government
About Richard Johnstone
Related Posts
