{"id":65910,"date":"2020-07-02T17:01:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T17:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadialogue.net\/?p=65910"},"modified":"2021-02-15T10:17:08","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T10:17:08","slug":"china-should-set-up-a-carbon-cap-zou-ji-on-the-next-national-energy-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/china-should-set-up-a-carbon-cap-zou-ji-on-the-next-national-energy-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018China should set up a carbon cap\u2019 \u2013 Zou Ji on the next national energy targets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

China\u2019s 14th<\/sup> Five Year Plan will guide its development from 2021 to 2025, shaping the economy, energy mix and carbon emissions and much else beside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the impact of the coronavirus has introduced great uncertainty to the process. At the recently concluded meeting of the legislature, the Twin Sessions<\/a>, China announced it would not set a new goal for economic growth during 2020, reflecting how those uncertainties are affecting top-level planning. The economic slowdown caused by the virus is also causing concern over China\u2019s commitment to a low-carbon green transition. Will China again rely on carbon-intensive infrastructure construction to stimulate the economy as it did in 2008? Figures from Greenpeace<\/a> show many Chinese provinces restarted coal-fired power construction in the first five months of this year, with 48GW of generation capacity newly planned, approved or under construction \u2013 more than went into operation in all of 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"zou<\/div>
Zou Ji, president of Energy Foundation China<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This complex economic and energy outlook makes the 14th<\/sup> Five Year Plan (FYP) even more important. On the existing timetable, the grand plan will be unveiled at next year\u2019s meeting of the Twin Sessions in March 2021, along with specific plans for key sectors such as energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With drafts of the plans likely to appear later this year, China Dialogue sought the view of Zou Ji, president of Energy Foundation China. He describes the coronavirus epidemic as also offering opportunities for reform \u2013 opportunities which China should seize by setting more ambitious climate and environmental targets than those of the last Five Year Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


China Dialogue: This is the final year of the 13th<\/sup> FYP. What do you think of China\u2019s progress on its low-carbon transition over these five years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zou Ji: <\/strong>China has made considerable progress. First, we overshot the [energy and climate] targets set. Second, the market price of renewable energy has consistently fallen \u2013 due both to better technology and larger market scale. These are real improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, there has been significant improvement on energy efficiency. Energy intensity per GDP unit and per tonne of steel, cement and ethylene produced has fallen. The structure of our economy is changing, with the share of the service sector and of new low-carbon manufacturing industries on the rise, and that of traditional polluting and energy-hungry industries falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coal consumption has been falling since reaching a peak in 2013; there was a slight upturn in 2018 and 2019, but consumption remained below 2013 levels. Looking to the long term, coal has lost its momentum, allowing for a low-carbon and cleaner energy structure. And while total carbon emissions increased during the 13th<\/sup> FYP period, growth is slowing, indicating that the Chinese economy is uncoupling from carbon and emissions are moving towards a peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n