{"id":60101206,"date":"2025-09-25T17:56:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&#038;p=60101206"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:03:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:03:54","slug":"china-sets-conservative-new-climate-targets","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/china-sets-conservative-new-climate-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"China sets \u2018conservative\u2019 new climate targets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 24 September, President Xi Jinping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mfa.gov.cn\/zyxw\/202509\/t20250925_11716488.shtml\">announced<\/a> China&#8217;s updated climate action targets. These include its first absolute emissions goal: by 2035, the country will cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10% from peak levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other targets include raising non-fossil fuel consumption to over 30% (the current goal is 25%) and expanding solar and wind capacity from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.gov.cn\/2024-11\/08\/c_1310787160.htm\">1.2<\/a> to 3.6 terawatts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simon Stiell, UN climate change executive secretary, called the announcement \u201ca clear signal that the future global economy will run on clean energy.\u201d However, many experts say the 7-10% target is too conservative. An <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/chinas-2035-targets-can-be-a-climate-breakthrough\/\">assessment<\/a> by the Centre for Research for Energy and Clean Air had found a 30% reduction would be necessary to align with the Paris Agreement goals on addressing global warming.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia and chair of the Elders, a group of global leaders, said via the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC): \u201cChina\u2019s latest climate target is too timid given the country\u2019s extraordinary record on clean energy \u2013 both at home and through its green partnerships with emerging economies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The caution reflects China\u2019s traditional approach to climate policy, <a href=\"https:\/\/asiasociety.org\/policy-institute\/unpacking-chinas-new-headline-climate-targets\">stated<\/a> Kate Logan and Li Shuo of the Asia Society, who called the outcome \u201ca conservative pledge that the authorities are confident the country can fully deliver.\u201d The pair noted the &#8220;uncertainty&#8221; of promising to cut emissions from undefined and undated &#8220;peak levels\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat\u2019s hopeful is that the actual decarbonisation of China\u2019s economy is likely to exceed its target on paper,\u201d said Yao Zhe, global policy advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, via GSCC. A recent Greenpeace report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/press\/68335\/china-can-peak-coal-power-generation-and-power-sector-emissions-in-2025-greenpeace-report\/\">projects<\/a> that emissions from China\u2019s largest sector \u2013 power generation \u2013 could peak by 2025. Though increased emissions from the coal-to-chemical sector complicate the picture, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2025\/08\/21\/chinas-emissions-fall-but-growing-coal-to-chemicals-sector-raises-concern\/\">reports<\/a> Climate Home News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China\u2019s energy transition is already reshaping its emissions trajectory. Robust growth in renewables <a href=\"https:\/\/energyandcleanair.org\/analysis-record-solar-growth-keeps-chinas-co2-falling-in-first-half-of-2025\/\">drove<\/a> a 1% year-on-year decline in CO2 emissions in the first half of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muyi Yang, senior China analyst at Ember, said: \u201cWhat matters now is preparing for the post-peak era so any plateau is short\u201d. He said the new NDC \u201csignals commitment, which will unlock capital and speed a shorter plateau and faster structural decline in emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysts say China\u2019s upcoming five-year plans for 2026-2030 and 2031-35 could determine how these NDC pledges are translated into concrete action \u2013 including quantified reductions for CO2, methane and other gases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Read Dialogue Earth\u2019s recent <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/chinas-carbon-market-set-to-introduce-absolute-emissions-cap\/\"><em>piece<\/em><\/a><em> on China\u2019s plan to introduce absolute emissions caps for major industrial sectors by 2027.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Xi Jinping has announced China&#8217;s updated climate action targets. These include its first absolute emissions goal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006649,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[761,757],"tags":[513,580],"country":[20000110],"digest-collection":[50039911],"class_list":["post-60101206","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-energy","tag-carbon-emissions","tag-policy","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>China sets \u2018conservative\u2019 new climate targets | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Xi Jinping has announced China&#039;s updated climate action targets. 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