China pledges to cut emissions by 2035: what does that mean for the climate?

"China has revealed its goal for slashing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, providing a glimpse into how global emissions might change over the next decade. In a video address to the United Nations Climate Summit on 24 September, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced that China will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. The pace at which China cuts emissions will have profound global impact."

"The country has accounted for 90% of the growth in the world's CO ₂ emissions since 2015 and it is now the largest GHG emitter in the world, responsible for around one-third of the global total, according to the Asia Society Policy Institute, a think tank based in New York City. Analysts have warned that China's action could make or break the 2015 Paris agreement."

China will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. The country accounted for 90% of the growth in global CO₂ emissions since 2015 and currently emits around one-third of the world total. In 2020 China pledged to peak CO₂ before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The new Nationally Determined Contribution sets targets through 2035 and includes clean-energy goals for 2035. Yao Zhe identifies these targets as the first official outline of a post-peaking plan. Belinda Schäpe indicates that a decline in China’s emissions would likely lead to a decline in global emissions.

Read at Nature