China’s Top-down Actions Dispel Carbon Peak Doubts
Orderly and steady progress has been made in China’s green and low-carbon transition, as the world’s largest energy producer and consumer has vowed to reach its carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
North China’s coal-rich Shanxi Province has hosted the Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum in its capital city of Taiyuan, a major forum dedicated to contributing to achieving the grand goals.
Once heavily reliant upon its coal reserves to drive economic growth, Taiyuan has since taken the lead in piloting reforms to its energy structure.
Start anew
Shanxi, China’s major coal hub, has targeted slashing its carbon emissions as one of its leading measures to start a comprehensive energy revolution.
This year, a series of specific goals have been set in the province to complete a clean heating upgrade of its urban areas on the plains and an ultra-low emission transformation of steel complexes.
“The 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) is a critical period and golden opportunity to peak carbon emissions before 2030. Bringing the total amount of fossil energy consumption under control and taking action to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy alternatives are the major means,” said Hou Bingrang, deputy director of the provincial energy administration.
Yet the province’s low-carbon transition is no recent fad, as Shanxi has been striving to make the transformation happen for a decade.
Clean energy
China is seeking possible clean energy alternatives. By 2030, the proportion of non-fossil energy in China’s total energy consumption is expected to near 25 percent.
Official data showed that China’s new energy industry continued to expand in the first half of 2021, while the electricity generated by wind energy increased by 26.6 percent, taking the lead in terms of growth.