Last week President Xi Jinping of China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide gases, announced in his speech to the UN General Assembly that China will scale up its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to tackling climate change by adopting more forceful measures and policies in an effort to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060.
The announcement is among the most significant signs of progress concerning the countries endeavours to mitigate climate change since agreeing to the Paris Agreement back in 2015. This declaration marks the first time that China has set a concrete long-term target of carbon neutrality. So, by 2060, the country will either stop carbon dioxide emissions altogether, or as is more likely, use various means to remove an equivalent amount of any remaining emissions.
However, be under no illusion, China’s commitment to go carbon neutral by 2060 will require a colossal push. According to the Global Energy Monitor, as of July 2020, China already had 98,520 megawatts (MW) of coal power plants under construction and over 153,000 MW under various stages of planning.
Also, although the statement of intent is welcome, other jurisdictions have already gone further. The EU for example, the world’s third-largest emitter, has committed to reaching net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Then again, unsurprisingly, the U.S, currently the world’s second biggest emitter, and by far the most responsible for historical emissions, has no plans to announce any long-term targets under the current administration.
Talking about the current US administration, like a phoenix from the flames, the (current) leader of the free world returned to the White House yesterday after three nights in hospital being treated for COVID-19. After his return to office, Trump released a couple of videos, in one of which he told Americans to ‘get out there’ and ‘don't be afraid’ of the virus, adding ‘Now I'm better and maybe I'm immune, I don't know’.
To date over 210,000 people in the US have died from the disease, with nearly 7.5 million confirmed cases.