China to be carbon neutral before 2060

Beijing, Sept. 23: China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060 and ensure its greenhouse gas emissions peak in the next decade, Xi Jinping has told the UN general assembly.

"China will scale up its intended nationally determined contributions [under the Paris climate agreement] by adopting more vigorous policies and measures," the Chinese president said, calling for a "green recovery" from the Coronavirus pandemic.

The unexpectedly forthright commitment will give fresh impetus to the UN’s efforts to galvanise action on the climate crisis, which has been flagging as the Coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the world’s societies and economies this year.

“Xi’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 is a gamechanger,” said Thom Woodroofe, a former climate diplomat and senior adviser at the Asia Society. "For the first time ever there is now a clear longterm trajectory for decarbonisation in China.”

China is the world’s biggest emitter, and had previously committed only to aim for peak emissions in about 2030. Its response to the Coronavirus crisis has included plans to build new coalfired power stations. But last week the country held an online summit with the EU, amid signals Beijing would take a stronger climate stance.

Last week, the EU also came forward with strengthened commitments under the Paris agreement, pledging to cut emissions by 55% by 2030. China's pledge to bring forward a strengthened national plan is a major boost to the prospects for next year's vital UN climate summit. Called

Cop26 and to be hosted by the UK, the summit has been delayed by a year to November 2021.

Cop26 is viewed as one of the last chances to put the world on track to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement, to hold global heating to well below 2C, regarded as the limit of safety. Current commitments under the accord would lead to a disastrous

3C rise.

Every nation is supposed to come forward this year with a strengthened national plan to make Cop26 a success. But until recently, it was mostly only smaller countries that had done so, covering a minority of global emissions. With China and the EU now publicly committed to bringing forward new plans, two of the world's three biggest emitters are now pledging strong action at Cop26.

The biggest player now missing from the stage is the US.