Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
11/21/2014
Contrary to a popular myth, China has been working to combat climate change since long before its recently announced climate agreement with the United States, World Resources Institute Senior Associate Sarah Forbes said during an event hosted by the Unites States Energy Association this week. “This is myth that we encounter and we hear in congress all the time. It’s not true, it’s a myth, but I’ve heard it. I heard it even after the announcement last week. ‘China’s not acting on climate so why should the United States?’ Well the fact is, China is acting on Climate," Forbes said. China has taken significant steps to reduce its climate impacts, Forbes noted, including a moratorium on new-build coal plants in certain areas, the closing of many older plants, significant efforts to advance carbon capture and storage and international collaboration. In the new agreement China makes commitments to continue and ramp up these efforts.
Under the agreement, China has committed to setting targets to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and to increase non-fossil fuel energy production to 20 percent of their energy mix by 2030, and the United States has committed to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The agreement also includes significant joint commitments to advancing CCS in the form of demonstration projects and increased research and development.
As a part of the agreement, the United States and China will launch a new joint carbon capture, utilization and storage project in China which will use captured CO2 for enhanced water recovery. The United States and China will make equal funding commitments to the project, with additional funding to come from other countries and private industry. This project is perhaps the biggest such commitment made by the two countries, but it is not the first project which has seen significant involvement from U.S. and Chinese entities. Earlier this year several announcements were made involving Chinese engagement in projects located in the U.S. including a partnership between China Huaneng and Summit Power ‘s Texas Clean Energy Project. “When I saw these announcements and I saw this happening, I really felt like we were beginning to move from a time where we were collaborating with China on CCS research … into a phase where we’re collaborating on real projects that mean steel in the ground,” Forbes said.
U.S. China Deal Could be Model for International Agreements
Forbes suggested that moving into international climate discussions, first in Lima, Peru next month and then in Paris in 2015, the deal struck between the U.S. and China could be used as a model for further international agreements. “The U.S. and China didn’t agree to the same number and the same target, they agreed to common but differentiated responsibilities,” she said. “Going into the negotiations in Lima, this type of common but differentiated responsibilities is going to be important as other countries come to the table. It’s not just that these two counties came to an agreement before the meeting, but the fact that [it’s] this type of agreement can influence the international negotiations.”
Substantial Motive for Climate Action in China
Forbes noted that even after dispelling the myth that China is not actively involved in combating climate, explaining the country’s motive to do so is difficult. “I think from an American perspective there’s still a good bit of skepticism on climate change and so the question is why, why is China acting on climate change?” Forbes said. “First of all there’s a broader notion of development … if you’ve been to presentations in China, you usually talk about energy use per capita or CO2 emissions per capita and thinking about development and finding a new path. We know in many economies, the growth that many economies went through in an industrial revolution, there’s an opportunity today, with today’s technology, for China to develop along a different path and one that includes more clean energy.” Forbes also stated that climate action in China is fueled by economic competiveness, energy security, the effects of climate change itself and international challenges and opportunities. “I think there’s a real opportunity for China to be leader in international negotiations and by acting on climate now that’s one way to seize that opportunity,” she said.
