Shocking! China's Plans For "Net-Zero" By 2060 Have Left Scientists And Analysts Unimpressed
China has published its long-awaited national plan on greenhouse gas emissions, just days before the opening of the Cop26 UN climate summit. However, the plan revealed on Thursday represents little progress on the previously announced ambitions of the world’s biggest carbon emitter, disappointing observers of the vital climate talks. Emissions would peak by 2030 and be reduced to net zero three decades later, according to the nationally determined contribution (NDC) submitted to the UN.
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It raises the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 25% from the previous target of 20%, and significantly lifts the goal of reforestation to 6bn cubic metres of forest stock from 4.5bn. In the earlier document, there was no figure given for solar and wind capacity by 2030, but the new submission states this will be 1,200GW. However, the reaction among analysts was that the new climate plan is disappointingly short of fresh details. The main targets of the updated NDC were announced last year by China’s president, Xi Jinping, and are insufficient to keep the world on course to hold global heating to no more than 1.5C.
Belinda Schäpe, from the E3G thinktank, said the recent warning by the world’s leading climate scientists required nations to step up further than they were willing to do last year. “Things have changed since a year ago. The recent ‘code red warning’ by the IPCC puts China’s targets into a different light and increased ambition from China is crucial to keeping global warming below dangerous levels. “China could still bring large contributions to the table at G20 and Cop26 by supporting a political commitment to keep 1.5C within reach and clarifying the role of coal in its power system.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/28/disappointing-but-not-unexpected-china-climate-goal-leaves-experts-unsatisfied