China submitted its updated emissions reduction commitment, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to the United Nations on Thursday, just days ahead of the
COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. But
climate observers described it as modest and said it failed to improve China’s ambition by much.
The updated document includes President
Xi Jinping’s pledge last September that China will reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve neutrality – also known as net zero – before 2060. Compared with China’s previous NDC, submitted in 2016, there are also higher commitments to reducing emissions by 2030.
The previous goal to increase China’s share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption has been raised from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. China also aims to reduce carbon intensity – measured as emissions per unit of GDP – by 65 per cent on 2005 levels, another 5 per cent increase on its 2016 pledge.
The country also aims to increase its forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic metres, up from its previous target of around 4.5 billion. Installed wind and solar capacity will more than double, from last year’s 535 gigawatts to 1,200GW by 2030, according to the documents published on the website of the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The new commitments were a reiteration of Xi’s announcement in December at the virtual UN summit on
climate change. Observers said China, together with other major emitters, should take giant leaps if
global warming is to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels by the end of this century – as adopted in the Paris Agreement.
“China’s decision casts a shadow on the global climate effort. In light of the domestic economic uncertainties, the country appears hesitant to embrace stronger near-term targets, and this represents a missed opportunity to demonstrate ambition,” said Li Shuo, senior policy adviser for Greenpeace East Asia.
“The planet can’t afford this being the last word. Beijing needs to come up with stronger implementation plans to ensure an emission peak before 2025,” he said.
