A quarter of the energy consumed in China now comes from clean sources. File | Photo credit: AP
one fourth of all energy China According to research published on Thursday (August 29, 2024), half of the total energy consumed worldwide now comes from clean sources. Beijing is rapidly moving its huge economy onto a greener footing,
The country is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, although in recent years it has emerged as a global leader in renewable energy.
Also read: China’s carbon emissions to peak before 2030: expert survey
It has pledged to peak planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and to zero by 2060.
A white paper published on Thursday (Aug 29) said the proportion of “clean energy” in total national consumption has risen from 15.5% to 26.4% over the past decade, according to the state news agency. Xinhua said,
Wind and solar capacity increased tenfold over the same period, Xinhua said The document was quoted as saying.
It said China has contributed more than 40% of the annual increase in global renewable energy capacity since 2013.
“China has achieved historic breakthroughs in green and low-carbon energy development,” the white paper says.
Below Paris Climate AgreementIn 2014, countries pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperature rise well below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
China has won praise for its efforts to rapidly phase out polluting energy sources such as coal, but it has also resisted calls to act more ambitiously.
Last week, its wind and solar capacity surpassed a target set by President Xi Jinping, nearly six years ahead of schedule.
Uneven development in the country’s renewable energy sector also means huge amounts of energy goes to waste, while turmoil in the domestic solar industry has left some companies in serious financial trouble.