China will provide new incentives for reducing carbon emissions and pollution in China this year. However flexibility and stability are still the top priorities of the country as economic pressures mount.
China’s environmental commitmentsAs it seeks to boost growth and reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 control policies on its economy, supply chains and economy, this year has seen a lot more scrutiny.
President Xi Jinping spoke in January and stated that the country’s ambitious low carbon goals should not be sacrificed for energy and food security, or the “normal lives” of ordinary citizens.
China’s government report on work was presented to the annual session by Premier Li Keqiang. It stated that the top priorities for 2022 would be:
- Stability
- The expansion of domestic consumption
- Food security
- Energy security
Li stated that China would “work harder” to make coal more clean and efficient, to update coal-fired power stations to make them more efficient, to increase the capacity of grids for absorbing power from renewable sources, and to make coal more efficient.
He said that efforts to reduce coal consumption and to bring emissions to a peak would be done in an “orderly way”, but environmentalists are skeptical.
It is also known that the Chinese government is known to be a shady actor. Artificially alter the weatherIn cities like Beijing, a process known as cloud seeding is used to plant trees. This has caused controversy because of the negative effects it has on the natural world.
China, the world’s largest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emission, has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2060.
The state planning agency published a separate report on Saturday that stated that China would “balance development with emission reductions, as well as current needs to long-term benefits.”
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), stated that “an appropriate level” of flexibility on energy consumption would be beneficial to maintain a stable economy. It also warned against “overly simplistic and mechanically implemented policies by local governments.
Is China going to fulfill its green commitments?
Concerned environmental groups expressed concern that China’s economic fears could lead to a reversal of its environmental promises.
Last year saw the fastest growth in energy and coal use in the world’s largest emitting country. China has also been building large amounts new coal-fired power capacities.
The Saturday government work report stated that there was no annual target set for energy intensity (the amount of energy consumed per unit of GDP) and that China would not be included in state energy consumption control targets.
However, the work report promised to take stronger actions to treat Pollution in major rivers, lakes, bays, and boost recycling
NDRC is also available. said large-scale afforestationIt will continue to do so in the coming year.
In another annual report published on Saturday, the finance ministry also said it would raise the budget for air pollution by 2.5 billion yuan to 30 billion yuan (€4.4 billion) this year, in order to support the transition to clean winter heating. The water pollution budget was also increased.
The finance ministry stated it would lower corporate income tax rates to third-party companies involved in cutting pollutants and create a national fund for low-carbon transition.