China could reach its 2030 target on wind and solar energy use five years earlier than planned, according to a recent study. Provincial-level regions planned to increase the installed capacity of wind and solar energy by at least 800 million kilowatts during the 14th Five Year Plan (2021-25) period, according to a new study conducted by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs. This means that China may be able to beat its target of increasing the installed electricity capacity for these two types of renewable energies to 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2025.
According to the national implementation plan on promoting the high-quality development of new energy in the new era, which was revealed last year, China aims to realize the target by 2030, which was announced by President Xi Jinping at the Climate Ambition Summit on December 12, 2020. Ma Jun, Dean of the Institute, said the research is based on documents that have been made public by 30 provincial-level regions across the country. China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before the end of this decade and go carbon neutral before 2060.
All of the 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland have pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030, Ma said, adding that Tibet has a special development model. China has adhered to the principle of prioritizing environmental protection in Tibet’s development. Currently, industrial development is banned or restricted in many parts of the region.
The study includes an index from 0 to 100 to describe the performance of regions in implementing the country’s climate targets, with 30 for climate ambitions, 40 for the state of low-carbon development and 30 for emission trends. There are also some subindexes under each of the three categories. The 31 provincial-level regions achieved a total score of 1,295.5 last year, 10 points higher than in 2021, the study said. Half of the 10 best-performing provincial-level regions are from the eastern part of the country, including Beijing and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, according to the study. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces are the top four most economically-developed provinces in China. In total, they contribute 35% of the country’s GDP and 28% of its carbon emissions, he said. These regions should take the lead in climate actions, the China Daily reports.
