The Wall Street Journal reported on its website that China is accelerating the large-scale use of renewable energy, with related investments rapidly increasing. The International Climate Monitoring Agency currently predicts that China's greenhouse gas emissions may peak this year, several years earlier than expected.
The report cited the latest data released by China, showing that in just the past year, China added 217 gigawatts of solar power capacity, a 55% annual increase. This is equivalent to installing over 500 million solar panels, far surpassing the total solar power capacity of the United States. From the deserts of Inner Mongolia to the mountains of southwestern China and rooftops across the country, including the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, solar panels are visible everywhere.
In terms of wind power, China's wind power capacity increased by 76 gigawatts last year, surpassing the total sum of other regions in the world. This is equivalent to adding over 20,000 wind turbines nationwide, including the world's largest offshore wind turbine in the East China Sea.
Analysts point out that the addition of low-carbon electricity sources, including hydropower and nuclear power, will for the first time be sufficient to meet China's entire year's growth in electricity demand. The International Energy Agency and the Chief Analyst of the Finnish Energy and Clean Air Research Center, Mily Ville, both indicate that developments suggest that in the coming years, the share of coal-fired power generation, which accounts for 70% of China's total emissions, will decrease.
The Wall Street Journal notes that China's expanding production of renewable energy is influencing global responses to climate change. Chinese companies are major manufacturers of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, leading to concerns in other industrialized nations about over-reliance on China for clean energy products.
At the same time, China's vigorous development of renewable energy domestically is injecting new vitality into international climate diplomacy. China's rapid growth in carbon emissions in the past attracted criticism for not adequately addressing climate change. Now, officials and analysts from various countries point out that Beijing's efforts to reduce emissions are providing momentum for implementing the Paris Agreement.
Koshbaken, a senior researcher at the International Center for Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo, stated that China achieving peak carbon emissions earlier than expected carries significant meaning, signaling a new phase in emission reduction efforts globally. The rapid popularization of electric vehicles in China has led analysts to believe that the country's gasoline demand peaked last year.
President Xi Jinping pledged in 2020 that China will strive to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. He also announced that by 2030, solar and wind power capacity will reach at least 1,200 gigawatts. Currently, China is on track to achieve these goals six years ahead of schedule. Last year, China's solar and wind power capacity reached 1,030 gigawatts, and the China Electricity Council predicted that by the end of this year, wind and solar power capacity will exceed 1,300 gigawatts.
Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, stated that China's pace of emission reduction is astonishingly fast. However, some analyses suggest that once emissions peak, they will stabilize rather than rapidly decrease. To fulfill the Paris Agreement, the major emitting countries must collectively reduce global emissions by 43% compared to 2019 levels within this decade.
The Climate Action Tracker, a scientific alliance assessing government emission reduction plans, believes that China's emissions should peak next year. If the annual average installation of wind and solar power, like last year's 300 gigawatts, continues until the end of the decade, China's emissions are expected to significantly decrease. This could reduce the projected global temperature increase by around 0.3 to 0.4 degrees Celsius.
While China is still constructing coal-fired power plants, drawing criticism from Western officials, the Chinese government explains that the pollution levels of these new plants are not as severe as feared. These plants will replace older, higher-emission plants and operate at far below full capacity, primarily to maintain grid stability in the context of more intermittent wind and solar power sources.
Original Article：https://www.881903.com/news/international/2521396
