Under its” America First” method, the next Trump administration has made a number of anti-climate plans public. The US’s status will be undermined by breaking the Paris Agreement, starting a business war, shutting down USAID, and expanding drilling for oil and gas, as well as by compromising the US’s ability to combat climate change globally.
New leadership is desperately needed in the US, where the US is renouncing its commitment to climate change, and Europe is preoccupied with safety issues. China might be able to bridge this void.
The nation is already the market leader for most spotless technologies, and its top leaders believe that climate change will help it fulfill its role as a main power. At a new closed-door meeting of heads of state convened by the UN secretary general to explain the climate crisis, Xi Jinping reiterated this statement.
After accepting the Trump-initiated shock of the global economy, Xi declared that China” may overcome the headwinds and gradually advance world weather governance.”
Beijing has first enhance China’s domestic policies as well as its support for climate actions in the Global South in order to take on this management. The nation’s clean energy progresses extraordinary, and its carbon emissions may reach their highest level this time.
However, more than 60 % of the nation’s electricity still comes from fuel, and it’s not clear how quickly the government intends to phase out fossil fuels. Some municipal governments are still issuing permits to add new coal-fired energy crops.
China may demonstrate its commitment to climate change almost right away, and it can rekindle global support for the Paris Agreement. First, it needs to make very ambitious pledges to reduce its emissions for the upcoming decades in preparation for the UN climate conference ( COP30 ), which will take place in Belem, Brazil, in November.
China was one of the many nations that missed the February deadline ( only 15 of its members arrived on time ). Beijing’s approach has been to “wait and see” so far in light of the turmoil brought on by the fresh Trump presidency.
What promises does China ultimately make does have a significant impact on global ambition. A lofty goal may result in a reduction of at least 30 % of its emissions below their peak. If the nation can continue to advance in renewable energy, this is still possible.
Despite the missed deadline, Beijing is making some encouraging sounds. Xi stated at a new high-level meeting that all financial sectors and greenhouse gases may be covered by China’s upcoming emission reduction targets, which will be implemented through 2035.
In contrast to China’s previous vows, which only covered carbon monoxide ( China is the world’s largest emitter of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, for example ) and did not incorporate national goals into specific sectoral policies, this will be a significant improvement.
In subsequent international discussions, China has also played a significant role in closing the gap between developed and developing nations. This was particularly true of the new international climate finance target conversations held at COP29 last year in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In this perspective, climate finance refers to providing resources to developing nations to help them lower their emissions and adapt to climate change. China is still a developing nation under the UN’s culture change convention, and as a result, it is not legally required to provide global climate finance.
Despite this, it has already contributed to the funding of climate action in developing nations, including fresh strength and disaster recovery, with a goal of raising US$ 24 billion. According to some estimates, it is the fifth-largest donation of climate finance worldwide.
Beijing needs to be more open to the public about where its money comes from and how tasks are funded for this purchase to have a long-term effect. Additionally, it should involve more native people in the planning and funding of the tasks it funds.
Transformation the operating program
China may also play a significant role in transforming the world financial system to bring it in line with the Paris Agreement.
As a strong supporter of natural financing, it has a significant impact on upcoming global conferences like the UN’s negotiations on global tax assistance, as well as the Financing for Development event in Seville. China also has the chance to drive for more funding to support online zero as co-chair of the G20’s green finance working class.
China is in a special position to supply renewable energy, batteries, electric cars, and many other fresh systems economically, and is by far the biggest producer of them all.
Many developing nations don’t have the knowledge or basic equipment to make the most of these products despite having already exported a lot of them ( for instance, solar farms are only useful if you don’t have a device that can store the energy they generate ). China may help solve this by working with other world South governments to develop technologies and engage in manufacturing.
China has the chance to take action now that the world climate management is in danger. The nation is well-positioned as an emerging powerhouse with benefits in clean technologies and a leadership that just reaffirmed its commitment to climate change. The world is watching to see if China may following suit.
University of Bath associate professor of global growth Yixian Sun
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Study the article’s introduction.