What a China-EU climate deal could do for world

LONDON – One typically hears two stories about China and climate change. The first is that China leads the world in greenhouse-gas emissions as it continues to build more coal-fired power stations. The second is that China leads the world in developing clean technologies that will allow all countries to decarbonize their economies at a far lower cost than seemed possible five or ten years ago. Both stories are true, and policy in China and the rest of the world must reflect that reality. In 2022, China emitted 15.7 gigatons of greenhouse gases, far more than America’s six gigatons or the European Union’s 3.6 gigatons. While these absolute figures reflect China’s much larger population, its per capita emissions, at 11 tons, greatly exceed the EU’s 8.1 tons and the United Kingdom’s 6.3 tons; moreover, the latter two are on track to fall below 2 tons by 2040. China has committed to achieve peak emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2060; but this still implies that its cumulative carbon dioxide emissions between now and 2060 could be around 250 gigatons. By contrast, current commiWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times