China’s shocking pledge to zero carbon emissions by 2060, stir up major goals to tackle the climate crisis

China being world’s largest carbon emitter pledges to achieve the target of zero carbon emissions in another 40 years, giving major goals to tackle the climate crisis and reducing carbon emissions, will also send strong geopolitical message to world’s largest emitters, especially Washington. 

China’s President Xi Jinping, at United Nations conference, pledged to curtail carbon emissions and achieve the target of zero emissions within 40 years, that is by 2060. Considering the fact of China being world’s largest producer and consumer of greenhouse gases, accounting for more than a quarter of world’s carbon emissions, it is considered as a shocking pledge that China took days after EU toughened its 2030 climate targets. 

China has not clearly announced that how it will achieve this hard-set target but laid a $15 trillion, 30 years roadmap which ceases the use of carbon and shifts its energy dependency by increasing renewable energy and nuclear energy supply. China’s pledge will remove 0.2 to 0.3 degree Celsius from 2100 global heating forecasts and so it is considered as a step in the right direction. 

These targets to be achieved by China and the EU, being leading emitters send a strong geopolitical message to the US, which is the only leading emitter left to join climate efforts. However, its action in past has shown reverse intentions by withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. 

Now, China has to take serious efforts and introduce drastic changes, as last year 58% of China’s total energy consumption and 66% of the need for electricity generation was fulfilled using coal. They need to advance the renewable energy sector to power transportation industry and farms. China is also bound to rethink its increasing dependency on oil as electrification of the transportation sector has to done and to move towards cleaner and greener fuels is a key challenge. It is a much needed step needed to achieve safer climate goals!

Written by Khusbhu Mathur

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