In this May 29, 2015 photo, a man walks past a coal-powered steel plant in Tianjin, China..
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The proposal, or Intended Nationally-Determined Contribution (INDC), is the latest in a series countries are publishing in preparation for December climate negotiations in Paris.
It also plans to increase the share of renewables and nuclear in its primary energy consumption mix to 20% by 2030, and significantly boost forest stocks.
In a new element, China pledged to reduce its carbon intensity – emissions per unit of gross domestic product – by 60-65 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
The report by the Committee on Climate Change looked at progress towards meeting carbon emission targets and how the United Kingdom is preparing for climate change risks.
Here is what it all means. Coal use also fell in 2014, the first time that’s happened in 14 years, indicating that China could be on the path to peaking earlier than expected.
Note: this projection is very sensitive to assumptions about China’s future economic growth. So, an increase of mere 5 per cent from 2020 to 2030 is not exactly “ambitious”. This is a similar finding to a recent study from researchers at the London School of Economics which looked at some of the structural changes occurring in the country and found that emissions could peak by 2025 or sooner.
With China’s announcement, the world’s biggest polluters – China, the USA and the European Union – have now all detailed their climate plans ahead of the global climate conference.
Even small decreases in China’s emissions seem like monumental feats when compared to other countries. This shows the growing momentum behind worldwide climate action this year.
BusinessGreen is today stepping up its coverage of the crucial United Nations global climate change talks, with the launch of its dedicated Road to Paris Hub.
Assuring of India’s readiness to contribute and play its due role in reaching a meaningful, equitable and effective agreement at Paris, Prasad said “we strongly believe that developing countries can do much more if they are enabled in their efforts by provision of finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building support from developed countries”. These commitments will be enforceable on the national level. “China’s plan reflects its firm commitment to address the climate crisis”, said Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute think tank.
To meet its new energy targets the country will need to invest US$6.6 trillion, according to the Climate Group.
[…] “We emphasise the importance of the fact that China has made commitments beyond its responsibility as a developing country”.
In a detailed submission to the United Nations, China listed a range of policies it said would help it achieve its goals, including reducing its reliance on high-polluting coal for electricity generation, scaling up renewable sources like solar and wind power, increasing energy efficiency, improving urban planning and public transport and even “promoting voluntary tree planting by all citizens”.
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Other analysts said the 60-65 percent carbon intensity target reflected the advances already made by China to decarbonize its economy.
