Beijing: China will cut carbon emissions by 7–10 percent by 2035, President Xi Jinping announced at a high-level climate summit, unveiling new measures to speed the transition to a greener economy in the world’s largest polluting nation.
In a video address, Xi said China will increase its installed capacity of wind and solar power to more than six times 2020 levels within a decade and raise the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy mix to over 30 percent. He also pledged to make pollution-free vehicles mainstream and basically establish a climate-adaptive society.
“Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of our times. Despite some countries going against the trend, the international community should stay on the right track, maintain unwavering confidence, unwavering action, and undiminished efforts,” Xi declared. China currently accounts for more than 31 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Xi’s remarks indirectly targeted the United States after President Donald Trump used his UN General Assembly speech to dismiss climate change as a ‘con job.’ Trump also announced Washington’s second withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
The US remains the world’s largest historical emitter and the second-largest current polluter, behind China. Former President Joe Biden had resubmitted America’s climate plan before leaving office last year.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted Europe’s progress, saying emissions have fallen nearly 40 percent since 1940 thanks to investment in renewables and a carbon pricing system.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, host of the upcoming climate conference, warned that climate change transcends borders. “Walls at borders will not stop droughts or storms. Nature does not bow down to bombs or warships. No country stands above another,” he said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that, “The science demands action. The law commands it. The economics compel it. And people are calling for it.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described how his country is reeling from catastrophic monsoon floods that have already affected five million people across 4,000 villages, killing over 1,000. He noted that Pakistan is still recovering from the 2022 floods that caused more than $30 billion in losses.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 195 nations agreed to submit stronger five-year climate plans. UN officials urged countries to update their pledges by the end of the month so progress can be measured.
Before the accord, the world was on track for 4°C of warming above pre-industrial levels. Current national commitments reduce that to 2.6°C, Guterres said, though the Paris target remains 1.5°C. The planet has already warmed about 1.3°C.
