China directs the world in clean energy transfer. Here it looks like

Talk to the video Last week, at the UN Climate Summit in New York, China’s President Xi Jinping expressed his country’s climate ambition. While the stated goals may not be aggressive, as some environmentalists like, XI emphasized China’s green commitment.

“Despite some countries that oppose this trend, the international community must remain in the right direction, maintaining unjust self -esteem, inequalities and restless efforts,” he said. Certainly any reference to Donald Trump and the United States (though not explicit).

The march is long energy transfer, but it must start somewhere. And with this approach, China has already taken a few steps.

Beijing (more) standing alone

Today, there is no race for the weather leader. The world was far from the COP26 conference in November 2021, when the climate change threat seemed like a global priority. A few months later, Russia attacked Ukraine. The subsequent energy crisis and inflation increased the climate in many political programs.

While Joe Biden and the United States responded to rise in prices with inflation reduction law, which was a priority for renewable energy investment, Donald Trump subsequently removed the United States from the Paris agreement – an international agreement to limit global warming – for the second time. The European Union has also stuttered: over -divided, beyond the DRAB Declaration is not intentional at the UN Climate Summit. There was not much movement from India, a country of nearly 1.5 billion. And the greenhouse gas emissions in other countries are very small.

Given this background, it is easy to understand how, in this scenario, China has become a global leader in clean energy transfer. The object’s speech did not get much detail, but he mentioned all the main points of China’s strategy.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 % to 10 % by 2035

In New York, Xi acknowledged the importance of the transfer and for the first time agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions instead of promising to slow down. China’s announced goal is between 7 and 10 percent in 2035.

How do you evaluate these obligations? While this commitment is vague, it is still noticeable. Previously, the regime had pledged to reach the peak by 2030 and lead to a decline in economic growth. In the XI speech, China can be transmitted from a developing approach to industrialized countries, whose greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced for decades.

Go slowly?

It should be noted that reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the speed promised by Beijing means reducing about 1 % per year. According to William Lamb’s analysis of the Putsam climate, this speed is slower than it was done by most industrialized countries. For example, Italy has declined 3.2 percent per 12 months since their peak in 2006. UK since 2004 on average 2.8 percent; France 2.3 percent.

“China has often made and made few promises,” says Andreas Siber, director of politics and campaigns for the Nonprofit 350.org. ” The lack of democracy also means that its policies are not at risk of inversion in any election cycle.

On renewable

Xi Jinping’s lecture included a commitment to reaching 3600 GW (GW) from wind and solar capacity installed by 2035, six times as much as 2020. It is currently the leading country in terms of renewable power and giant on the technology front, as well as universities destroy environmental and climate technology research at full speed and attract scientists abroad. He also announced the commitment to combining energy with more than 30 % renewable.

In electric vehicles

Mobility has long been an issue for China, which has been transferred from bicycles, epidemic, epidemic until the 1990s. The Beijing Olympic images in 2008 are unforgettable: a blanket of smoke is buried in the city. The government has reinforced electric motility in recent years: at the Climate Summit it has announced that it intends to make the EVS “mainstream”, meaning it is prevalent in sale. This helps to access rare minerals that are essential for building batteries. And for this, the country hosts giant car companies such as BYD and CATL, which provides battery for about 50 global brands, including Tesla and Volkswagen.

In the carbon market

The XI has announced its intention to expand the national market for carbon emissions to more expensive sectors than today.

In the forests

China made other obligations for forests, which will reach 34 billion cubic meters.

China has transformed the green technology market.

With doubts that are expecting wider actions and a real global leadership from China, these days do not wish a particular title – especially if the United States continues to reverse the climate science. As Bernice Lee’s senior adviser to Think Tank Chatham House, China only invests $ 625 billion in clean energy transfer last year. This is about one -third of the whole Gobal.

Not only this: Widespread research and acceptance of renewable technologies has led to a significant drop in prices, and China’s very large domestic market is an important factor. “China’s renewable emergence is changing the global economy and replacing coal in the domestic market,” Lee says.

It is hoped that other countries, who are confident in this commitment, will follow China’s example instead of the US.

The story initially appeared in Wired Italia and translated from Italian.