China’s new climate target branded ‘disappointing’, ‘underwhelming’

China’s new target for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions has been branded “disappointing” and “underwhelming” by climate experts, who warn the pledge falls far short of the action needed to avert climate catastrophe. But the goal also stirred hopes that China, which until now has only promised to stop emissions from rising, may ultimately be able to deliver much more ambitious cuts amid a massive expansion in the country’s renewable energy capacity. 

 In a video address to the United Nations on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would lower its emissions by 7-10 percent from their peak by 2035. It was the first time that China, the world’s biggest polluter, outlined a goal for cutting emissions outright.

Xi, who called the shift away from carbon “the trend of our time”, also pledged to raise the share of non-fossil fuel sources in energy consumption to more than 30 percent, and increase wind and solar capacity sixfold compared with 2020.

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