China on Saturday vowed to advance carbon neutrality on the eve of the UN climate summit in Brazil and said Beijing will reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions from peak levels by 7% to 10% by 2035.
A white paper titled "Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality: China's Plans and Solutions," released by Beijing, outlines the country's major achievements and progress in green and low-carbon development over the last five years, according to state-run Xinhua News.
According to the white paper, China has contributed nearly one-fourth of the world’s newly added green areas over the past two decades and ranks among the fastest nations in reducing energy consumption intensity.
It added that China has charted a viable path for developing countries to achieve green and low-carbon growth, making a significant contribution to global climate action and sustainable development.
In its 2020 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Beijing stated that it would strive to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
As part of its new NDCs, China also announced plans to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to over 30% of its total energy consumption.
China further plans to expand its installed wind and solar power capacity to more than six times the 2020 level by 2035, raising the total capacity to 3,600 gigawatts.
Beijing's latest move comes as the UN COP30 climate summit kicked off in Brazil's Belem city on Thursday, with more than 60 world leaders in attendance.
The summit, which will run until Nov. 21, expects to draw over 60,000 participants from 160 countries, with international organizations and delegations arriving daily.
Notable leaders in attendance include Gabriel Boric (Chile), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Emmanuel Macron (France), Pedro Sanchez (Spain), and Keir Starmer (United Kingdom). The most significant absences, however, are those of Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, both of whom declined President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s invitation.
By Anadolu staff
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr