The pace at which China will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions will be critical to reaching the global targets to fight climate change, Germany's climate envoy has said.
"What China decides to do in its NDC is probably the most important thing to keeping that 1.5-degree target in sight," Jennifer Morgan, Germany's State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, said, as carried by Bloomberg.
Germany has recently established a Climate and Transformation Dialogue with China to work on ways to accelerate the energy transition to keep the 1.5-degree target within reach.
In June, ahead of a visit to Japan and China, the German climate envoy said that "China's contribution will be decisive in our efforts to reach the Paris climate targets and prevent the most severe climate damage from occurring."
China is a global leader in renewable energy investment and capacity installations. But it is also the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter and continues to approve coal-fired power generation to meet its rising electricity demand without compromising energy security.
Last year, China invested $676 billion in its energy transition, the authorities said in August.
Since 2013, China has been responsible for over 40% of the annual additions to global renewable energy capacity. Last year, China's newly installed renewables capacity accounted for more than half of the world's total, the government said.
China, however, has yet to see its carbon dioxide emissions peak as it is a developing nation and has a massive population. The message came last month from the country's National Energy Administration in response to speculation that China had achieved peak emissions before its own deadline.
"We should not forget that China is still a developing country, pursuing modernization for a huge population," the head of law and institutional reform at the NEA, Song Wen, told media at the end of August.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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Comments
If it needs more coal it will go ahead and use more.
Moreover, China is aware of its climate obligations and responsibilities without advice from Germany or other Western countries.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Global Energy Expert