In a surprise announcement, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would become a carbon-neutral country by 2060 during his virtual address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last month. (CNN)The leader of the world's biggest polluter of greenhouse gases has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2060. Xi told the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22 that China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060, and achieve a peak in emissions prior to 2030. Todd Stern, Obama’s lead climate negotiator, said on Twitter that a stronger commitment was needed: President Xi's statement that China aims to hit net zero carbon before 2060 is big news - the closer to 2050 the better. China has pledged to speed up cuts to emissions with the aim of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. Today, China is an energy superpower. This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. But the country’s dependency on coal runs dauntingly deep. As governments, corporations and individual consumers increasingly raise alarms about the climate change crisis, such an announcement is welcome, if surprising. Imagine China — the world’s top emitter of carbon, which in 2019 released nearly double the emissions of the US — with almost zero coal power plants. China has yet to publish an official plan for how it would achieve carbon neutrality, but climate researchers have mapped out pathways. China is also the world leader in electric vehicle production, but electric cars only made up 2.5 percent of total sales in 2018 so production will have to scale up dramatically. And even though the scenario may be technically and economically feasible, the seismic shifts in Chinese society also have to be taken into account. “Electrification plus a hydrogen economy will be the technological solution for the energy transition for zero carbon China,” said Chen. South Korea follows Japan and China in carbon neutral pledge. With China, the 30 countries that have some kind of carbon neutrality pledges, account for about 43% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Now imagine it with zero gasoline-powered cars, and with more than four times the 1,200 gigawatts of solar and wind power capacity installed across the world today. "I welcome the announcement by President Xi that China has set a date for its CO2 emissions to peak and will become carbon neutral before 2060," Frans Timmermans, vice president for the European Green Deal, The Chinese President's remarks were at odds with United States President Donald Trump's, who used his UN speech. This rosy assessment might leave you wondering why China didn’t embrace carbon neutrality sooner. China's path to realizing its 2060 carbon neutrality goal will not be an easy ride. China should phase out all conventional coal-fired power plants without carbon capture technology by 2040-2045 if it is to achieve its ambition to become "carbon neutral" by … But China will be entering uncharted territory when it comes to cleaning up its behemoth steel and cement industries. If you haven’t, please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world: Contribute today from as little as $3. Critics still point to its repressive nature. In an address to … The largest polluting countries not on the list are the United States, India, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil and … Why will electricity be the crux of a carbon-neutral energy system? But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources. Some real concerns include the massive social transition as Rust Belt regions move away from coal and steel, the implications for international competitiveness if other countries don’t decarbonize at the same pace, and how the local and national governments will pay for new infrastructure. Here’s hoping it does. As the world’s largest carbon emitter and energy consumer, China’s yet-unknown pathway to carbon neutrality is certain to disrupt the globe’s energy economy from Dhahran to Queensland to Sand Hill Road and everywhere in between.10,000 This report is BloombergNEF’s first look at the arduous road ahead of China and the implications for the rest of the world. The process may be delayed for some nations due to the pandemic, but China may still publish its enhanced NDC in the coming months. However, this long-term goal is an indication of China's great commitment to a green transition. China aims to reach peak carbon emissions by the end of the decade and achieve carbon neutrality in 40 years China is the world's largest contributor of planet-warming gases and uses more coal than the rest of the world combined. Chinese President Xi … For instance, millions of workers in the coal and steel industries would have to transition to new roles. Can China, the world’s biggest coal consumer, become carbon neutral by 2060? 22/10/2020 - HR/VP blog - Last month, President Xi Jinping pledged that China would become carbon neutral by 2060. Countries were expected to submit their new round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by the end of the year to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. But the country is also a world leader in renewable energy and in recent years has taken a stronger public stance on climate action. Still, the target puts China more closely in alignment with the European Union, the UK, and other countries that have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said is required to prevent over 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Updated 0538 GMT (1338 HKT) September 23, 2020. Xi made the remarks at the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video. It's official: China, the world's largest polluter, has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2060. As the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China has previously argued for a more relaxed timetable on meeting its climate goals. Xi Jinping’s climate pledge at the UNGA, minutes after Trump’s speech, is clearly a bold and well calculated move. China’s surprise pledge to reach “carbon neutrality” before 2060 could cut global warming this century by 0.25C and raise the country’s GDP, our new analysis shows. China is targeting peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by the year 2060, according to President Xi Jinping. Following is a statement from Helen Mountford, Vice President, Climate and Economics, World Resources Institute. carbon neutral by 2060. There is strong interest in hydrogen, but it is coming from coal companies that want to use their coal to produce hydrogen rather than using renewables to produce the “green hydrogen” needed, he explained. China’s ambitious pledge to be carbon-neutral before 2060 shines an uncomfortable spotlight on Europe and the US, says Kevin Tu. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 16 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will accompany European efforts in the field of climate diplomacy. China, top global emitter, aims to go carbon-neutral by 2060 Calling for a “green revolution,” Xi said the coronavirus pandemic had shown the need to preserve the environment. Chen said “the transition is very, very difficult,” adding that local governments in coal-rich provinces have been focused on this issue for a while. Going carbon neutral means that China would remove the same amount of carbon it’s emitting into the atmosphere to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. In the US, some states and cities have moved in this direction, too. Ahead of the meeting, countries will need to increase their commitments to cut emissions to get on track to meet the Paris goals. This decade crucial for net zero 2050-60. But Chinese officials have yet to define exactly what that would look like. Following is a statement from Helen Mountford, Vice President, Climate and Economics, World Resources Institute. Posted 50 m minutes ago Wed Wednesday 23 Sep September 2020 at 1:11am. Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers, your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work. It is dizzying to consider the scale of change required to jumpstart the hydrogen industry to supply China’s industrial giants and long-haul trucks — and this is just a snapshot of the full transition that getting to net-zero carbon will require. Meanwhile, China also raised its renewable energy targets in June after exceeding them, but provinces have approved new coal power projects at their fastest clip since 2015. At the end of September, China's top leadership announced the goal for the industrial and economic giant to become carbon neutral by 2060. China’s pledge to go carbon neutral by 2060 marks a step ahead in global efforts against climate change, though the ambitious aim faces obstacles. There are still many questions to be answered about China… Hydrogen is a leading contender to replace coke for steel and other industrial production, but it is not cheap, and green hydrogen production is even more expensive, as Roberts explained. The good news: Researchers say it is possible. Models forecast that a carbon-neutral China could avoid 0.2oC – 0.3oC of global warming. With China, the 30 countries that have some kind of carbon neutrality pledges, account for about 43% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. William Shakespeare among first Britons to receive coronavirus vaccine, CNN gets access to site of Iranian scientist's assassination, From Bethlehem to Rome, see Christmas decorations around the world, Hear Ashton Kutcher's plea to lawmakers on proposed child abuse legislation, 'The stench is unbearable': Inside horrific Venezuelan Covid-19 ward, These 2 countries are embracing Covid-19 'immunity passports', 'It's a lot worse than being in Iraq': Veteran on Covid-19 pandemic, China can go carbon neutral by 2050 while still growing its economy: report, Why China and India shouldn't let coronavirus justify walking back climate action. Steel production alone is responsible for 15 percent of China’s carbon dioxide emissions, so finding alternatives to coal is critical. Meanwhile, in his UNGA remarks, President Trump defended his decision to withdraw the US from the “one-sided” Paris agreement while criticizing China for “rampant pollution.”. Different from other world economies, where petroleum is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions (petroleum contributes 44 percent of CO2 emissions in America and 36.7 percent in Japan), coal burning causes about 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in China, according to Global Carbon Atlas data (2008-2018). But there is another solution for these sectors: hydrogen. In March, China will also publish its next five-year plan, which will set targets for the economy as well as energy and climate change. Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal (often through carbon offsetting) or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether (the transition to the "post-carbon economy"). In short, electrifying the globe can only work with a much more flexible and interconnected power system, enabled by the right conditions. China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060, tightening its target to cut greenhouse-gases, and signaled higher spending on green technologies in … The study’s scenario doesn’t get into all of these details, and it is just one possible route, but it shows the magnitude of changes that China will have to make in the coming years and the challenges involved. These changes are monumental alone, but the greatest challenge is decarbonizing heavy-duty transportation and heavy industry, according to Chen. Achieving carbon neutrality under these circumstances is very difficult,” said Li Zheng. Some of the key shifts are already underway — toward electric vehicles and renewable energy, for example. This is a bold goal for the world’s largest polluter at a time when the nation is planning to develop nearly 150 gigawatts worth of coal power plants. But peak emissions before 2030 not good enough and new coal plants not good at all. China Vows To Become Carbon Neutral By 2060 The goals were the most concrete yet announced by China, which accounts for one quarter of the planet's greenhouse gas … 23/10/2020 - 12:40. "China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous … "Those who attack America's exceptional environmental record while ignoring China's rampant pollution are not interested in the environment," Trump said on Tuesday during his pre-recorded speech to the UNGA. "Moving this announcement into a concrete plan is critical -- so that China's decisions domestically match this commitment," Morgan said. 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