Rivalry muddles climate push
Last September, Chinese leader Xi Jinping garnered plaudits when he pledged to the United Nations that China would reach carbon neutrality before 2060. Earlier this month, Chinese and American climate envoys issued a full-throated statement that climate campaigners applauded as another meaningful step.
But given top billing at US President Joe Biden’s climate summit this week, Xi did not offer a fresh jolt of momentum. He rehashed some old promises.
Biden’s virtual summit has reinforced the sense that the United States and China, despite fierce and nationalistic rivalry, will seek common ground on the existential issue of climate change. But it’s uncertain how much more ground Xi is willing to concede – and under what circumstances.
Although the US, Japan and Canada unveiled tighter new greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2030, Xi – as well as another key figure, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – refrained from new commitments. After Xi’s speech, Chinese officials tasked with briefing reporters and Chinese state media repeated long-standing lines that developed countries must do more to cut their emissions while developing economies should receive more slack.
Environmental groups are disappointed
because Xi has staked out significant long-term goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, but has not yet presented clarity about how to get there.
Xi’s reticence at the summit could be driven by domestic considerations, said Li Shuo, senior adviser at Greenpeace East Asia.
‘‘He needs to balance divergent interests between domestic industrial groups and international expectations, the need to show China’s green image and also not be seen as caving to US diplomatic pressure,’’ Li said. ‘‘It’s precisely because it’s a USorganised event that China might have been more hesitant to put more offers on the table.’’
Lauri Myllyvirta, a researcher at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said it was heartening that Xi highlighted one issue of long-standing concern: China’s dependence on coal. For the first time, he explicitly articulated that consumption would ‘‘phase down’’ after 2025.
As Chinese provinces tried to stimulate their post-pandemic economies by building energy infrastructure last year, China turned on 38 gigawatts’ worth of new coal-fired power plants, more than three times the rest of the world, according to Global Energy Monitor.
Away from the spotlight of USChina relations, Chinese officials say they have made substantive moves of their own accord.
The percentage of China’s energy consumption from renewable sources has edged up slowly from 19 per cent in 2016 to 24 per cent last year.
China’s central bank chief Yi Gang said this month Beijing planned to spend about US$340 billion a year until 2030 to reduce emissions.