China Promises to End Involvement in Coal-Based Projects Abroad

07-10-2021

Veronika Sherova

Environment and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence

On September 21st, during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China "will strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060" and that China "will not build new coal-fired projects abroad" (Statement by Xi Jinping, 2021). Instead, China promises to help developing countries generate or improve green and low-carbon energy. Ahead of November's United Nations conference on climate change, this landmark announcement is a crucial step for global efforts to tackle the climate crisis. [1]

Coal is the main contributor to global CO2 emissions. According to Our World in Data, burning coal resulted in at least 14.36 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2019, accounting for 46% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Trapped in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide emissions cause global warming and impact human lives. Through its adverse effects such as increased temperatures and prolonged heat, rise of sea level and flooding, and others, climate change affects basic human rights: the rights to life, food, water, health, housing, development, and self-determination.

Since China is responsible for 27% of the world's CO2 emissions, it has been under intense diplomatic pressure to reduce emissions and "go green." It is hard to imagine significant progress in reducing emissions and addressing the climate crisis without China's involvement.

Notes:

[1] Text of the note... 

Sources and further reading:

Statement by H.E. Xi Jinping at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, 21 September 2021, https://estatements.unmeetings.org/estatements/10.0010/20210921/AT2JoAvm71nq/KaLk3d9ECB53_en.pdf.

CO2 emissions by fuel, Our World in Data, https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel.

CO2 emissions, Our World in Data, https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions.