Carbon neutrality high on NPC agenda
Officials and private sector delegates promise ‘orderly steps’ towards goals
Climate change and carbon neutrality were high on the agenda at China’s annual “two sessions” meetings that kicked off on Friday, with government leaders and delegates from the private sector discussing ways to support the country’s zero-carbon goals.
In 2022, China would “take orderly steps” to achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, and “work harder” to make coal use cleaner and more efficient while reducing the use of the commodity at the same time, Premier Li Keqiang said while delivering the annual government work report in Beijing.
The country will also shift from assessing the total amount and intensity of energy consumption to doing the same for carbon emissions, according to Li.
China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), began its annual meeting yesterday.
Along with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the NPC is one of the biggest events on the political calendar, as delegates from all sectors of society are invited to offer proposals and suggestions that could be included in the central government’s policies for the year.
In addition to the economy, green and low-carbon development was one of the major talking points on the first day of the NPC, as the deadline for meeting the target of peak national carbon emissions is 2030, while China has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
Some NPC and CPPCC delegates submitted proposals before the meetings, calling for accelerated carbon reductions and green transformation through new-energy vehicles, recycling and innovation.
Zeng Yuqun, chairman of electric vehicle battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, who is also a CPPCC delegate, included lithium development as one of his proposals.
He suggested the Chinese government should speed up exploration and development of resources for lithium – the key metal used in batteries that power electric vehicles – to ensure supply chain security amid a global shortage of rare earth due to increased adoption of the cars.
Li Shufu, NPC delegate and founder of carmaker Geely Automobile, put forward suggestions on the adoption of methanol-powered vehicles to help achieve carbon neutrality in transport.
Around the world, methanol is emerging as a clean and sustainable transport fuel of the future. Beijing included the development of methanol vehicles in its 14th five-year plan for green development, calling for the replacement of fossil-fuel vehicles with ones powered by methanol.
Lei Jun, founder and chief executive of electronics brand Xiaomi Corporation, who is also an NPC member, made four new-energy vehicle proposals during the meetings. He suggested establishing a carbon footprint management system to guide low-carbon development in the industry.
Lei also suggested establishing industrial standards and methods for carbon footprint accounting, as well as carbon footprint certification and incentive programmes for emission reduction.
Lei’s last proposal was on the recycling of electronic waste, as Xiaomi is one of China’s biggest electronics brands, with products ranging from smartphones to rice cookers.
As the world’s biggest market for the manufacturing and consumption of electronics products, China has a big e-waste problem. According to environmental group Greenpeace, the value of discarded e-waste metals in China will total US$23.8 billion by 2030.
Lei suggested establishing a nationwide recycling system for electronic waste, as well as launching pilot programmes that would offer recycling credits for personal electronic waste.
Robin Li Yanhong, CPPCC delegate and founder of Chinese search engine Baidu – which has also invested heavily in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving – offered suggestions on using AI-powered smart transport technologies to reduce carbon emissions on the roads.
He also proposed accelerating development of so-called green AI, using green electricity and algorithms to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from data centres.
Pony Ma Huateng, founder and chief executive of Tencent Holdings and an NPC member, focused his ideas on accelerating the development of “blue carbon”, or carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.