Advertisement
‘We must do it’: Xi Jinping stresses urgent need to meet China’s climate goals
- The country must take a path of green, low-carbon development, president tells Politburo
- Xi’s speech underscores the country’s difficulty in achieving its climate goals, analyst says
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the country to fully understand the urgency and difficulty of achieving its climate targets.
“Achieving the ‘double carbon’ target is not something we are told to do but something that we must do,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying at a Politburo study session on Monday, referring to the country’s carbon peak and neutrality goals.
Of the seven Politburo Standing Committee members, Zhao Leji, who is head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, was the only one absent from the meeting.
Advertisement
Xi pledged at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2020 that China would hit peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
On Monday, Xi said China should focus on “four pairs of relationships” on its path towards the two goals, including the relationship between development and emissions reduction.
Advertisement
“Emissions reduction does not mean curbing productivity or shutting down [production to stop] emissions. It’s taking the path of green and low-carbon development … and achieving greater development in green transformation,” he said.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x