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In a move designed to bolster Beijing’s climate reference, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will stop building coal-fired power plants overseas and end support for construction projects that rely on the world’s dirtiest fossil fuels.
“China will increase support for other developing countries in the development of green and low-carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired energy projects abroad,” Xi said in pre-recorded statements to the United Nations General Assembly.
Within its borders, China produces the largest share of global greenhouse gas emissions. By some estimates, with a massive 40 gigawatts of coal power planned, the country is by far the largest domestic coal producer and the largest foreign coal plant financier.
A clue to China’s change came earlier this year. For the first time in several years, China has not funded new coal projects in the first six months of 2021 as part of its global development commitment known as the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese coal projects have met with significant resistance in countries such as Bangladesh. , Kenya and Vietnam, mostly by civil society groups.
In response to Mr. Xi’s remark, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “Accelerating the global phasing out of coal is the most important step towards keeping the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree target achievable.”
an international agreement Reached in Paris in 2015 He said countries should try to keep temperature increases this century “well below 2, preferably 1.5 degrees” to fend off the worst effects of climate change.
Mr. Guterres has called for a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in nearly every global speech he has made on his signature climate change issue.
Mr. Guterres also welcomed a promise President Biden made earlier in the day that his administration would try to do. dual aid aimed at helping developing countries address climate changeIt has increased its promise in April to about $11.4 billion a year through 2024.
This commitment is considered critical to the success of the United Nations-led climate talks scheduled to take place in Glasgow in November, but whether and when the money materializes is dependent on congressional approval.
What Mr. Xi didn’t say at the General Assembly was nothing about China’s domestic coal plants. It is building the world’s largest fleet of coal-fired power plants within its borders, and most of its electricity still comes from coal.
Some observers urged China to honor Mr. Xi’s commitment by also reducing coal plant construction in China. “This announcement is a strong sign of the global collapse of coal,” said Durand D’Souza, a data scientist for Carbon Tracker in London, which monitors countries’ emissions policies. “Now is the time for China to move away from being the largest coal-fired power producer and continue its transition to lower-cost renewable energy sources.”
Last year, China built three times more new coal plants than all the other countries in the world combined, which equates to “more than one large coal power plant per week.” according to estimates From the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research in Finland, Dr. China’s latest five-year development plan, approved earlier this year, allows for the expansion of domestic coal-fired power plant construction in the coming years. But Chinese experts, who have called for an earlier peak in the country’s carbon emissions, urged not to expand any more domestic coal plants.
Mr. Xi made no further statements about China’s plans to rein in emissions by 2030, beyond repeating its commitment to reach peak emissions before the end of this decade. well not close to what is required to prevent global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, beyond which the world faces the possibility of far greater catastrophic climate consequences.
Still, Mr. Xi’s promise a few weeks before the United Nations-led climate talks in Glasgow sharpens the coal dilemma for large, emerging economies such as India, South Africa and Turkey, which are all major coal consumers. “This is an important step forward by the world’s largest overseas coal financing provider,” said Simon Stiell, environment minister for the island of Grenada, which is among the world’s smallest countries and also most susceptible to climate damage. change. “We look forward to seeing proportional action domestically.”
Burning coal is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. According to the International Energy Agency, coal demand will increase by 4.5 percent this year, especially to meet the increasing demand for electricity, following the decline experienced in the year of the pandemic.
Kevin P. Gallagher, professor of global development policy at Boston University, China’s worldwide energy finance, welcomed Mr. Xi’s comments, “assuming he’s being followed”. He then said that efforts to reduce coal power plant construction should focus on private financial institutions that still fund coal and ensuring that developing countries have viable alternatives.
Globally, coal intersection. Expenditure on coal projects dropped to the lowest In ten years in 2019. And in the last 20 years, more coal-burning power stations have been retired or shelved than commissioned.
In some countries where new coal plants are still being built on a large scale, plans for new plants have been shelved (as in South Africa), reconsidered (as in Bangladesh), or faced with financing problems (as in Vietnam). Existing coal plants in India are operating far below their capacity and are losing money. In the United States, they are quickly decommissioned.
Jake Schmidt, senior strategic advisor on international climate issues at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a research and advocacy group, described Mr. Xi’s announcement as a “really big step”.
“China is under a lot of pressure,” he said. “If it wants to be a climate leader, it can’t be the leading financier of offshore coal plants.”
Mr. Xi also used his General Assembly speech to reject his government’s portrayal of America as authoritarian, predatory and expansionist, claiming that he supports peaceful development for all peoples and that democracy is “not a special right reserved for one country.”
While Mr. Xi’s language was restricted, he also implied China’s anger at the Biden administration’s declaration of a new security pact with Australia. Putting American nuclear powered submarines in the Australian arsenal. This deal upset an Australian contract for conventional French submarines. angry france. It also represents a new military challenge for China as it asserts increased military might in the Asia Pacific region.
Mr. Xi said that without mentioning the United States or Australia, the world should “reject the practice of creating small circles or zero-sum games.” Mr. Xi said that conflicts between countries are hardly avoidable and “must be dealt with through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of quality and mutual respect.”
Chris Buckley contributed to the reporting.
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