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Beijing (AFP)
The United States is guilty of “obstructing” the global fight against emissions, China said on Wednesday, as Beijing seized the climate agenda by promising to be carbon neutral by 2060, a goal welcomed by environmentalists despite its patchy details.
The targets, which include a commitment to reach maximum emissions by 2030, remain the most concrete so far announced by China, which is the world’s largest polluter and accounts for a quarter of the planet’s greenhouse gases that are affected. attributes the rise in temperatures.
They also open a new divergence in relations with the United States, which are already pinched by disputes over trade, technology, defense and human rights.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday renewed his support for the Paris climate agreement and called for a green approach as the world recovers from the Covid-19 crisis.
During the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States, the world’s second-biggest polluter, pulled out of the deal, blaming China for stalling momentum to tackle global emissions.
“This clearly … seriously obstructs the progress of reducing global emissions and promoting low-carbon and green development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a statement on Wednesday.
“What qualifications does such a country have to criticize China?” He asked, citing America’s hunger for plastics and its export of waste.
In his speech to the UN, Xi singled out China as a climate leader, saying that the Paris agreement “outlines the minimum steps that must be taken to protect the Earth, our shared homeland, and that all countries must take decisive steps to comply. with this agreement “.
China aims to “peak C02 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060,” Xi said.
– ‘Nuanced image’ –
In addition to its acceptance of global emissions reduction agreements, China already fuels almost 15 percent of its energy demands with non-fossil fuels, added spokesman Wang.
“China’s renewable energy installation accounts for 30 percent of the world total,” he said.
But experts say the picture is more nuanced, with massive investments continuing at home and abroad in coal and other fossil fuels.
China currently has 135 gigawatts of coal power capacity allowed or under construction, according to Global Energy Monitor, a San Francisco-based environmental group.
That equates to about half of the total coal power capacity in the US.
The Paris climate accord commits nations to limit global temperature rise to near pre-industrial levels by rapidly and dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
– Less ambitious goal –
Welcoming China’s pledge with a tweet, EU commission chair Ursula von der Leyen warned that “much work remains to be done.”
The 2060 target is still a decade after the date set by dozens of small European states and powers.
But experts roundly applauded it as a significant step in injecting momentum into the Paris accords, which have stalled.
Joeri Rogelj, a climate expert at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, called Xi’s promise “unexpected and revealing.”
“All in all, China’s announcement is a watershed moment that restores ambition for global climate action,” he said.
But notes of caution remain in a rapidly growing country weaned on fossil fuels.
“The devil will be in the details,” said Helen Mountford, vice president for climate and economics at the World Resources Institute in Washington.
Others questioned whether China would follow its own guidelines while pursuing a global infrastructure-building binge – for example, whether it will still support coal plants in Africa.
– Trump on the attack –
Xi’s tone at the UN stands in stark contrast to that of Trump, who called the Paris agreement, negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama, unfair to the United States.
Trump says he is defending American constituencies like the coal miners and has relaxed environmental rules, although individual U.S. states like California have insisted on fighting climate change on their own.
The future of the Paris agreement will be determined in part on November 3 when Trump stands for re-election against Joe Biden, who has pledged to return the United States to the agreement and move toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
burs-apj / fox
© 2020 AFP
