China’s commitment to become carbon neutral before 2060 should also give extra impetus to EU clean energy transition plans.
(This article of Li Shuo, was first published on Energy Monitor)
President Xi Jinping’s landmark announcement on carbon neutrality is game-changing. It places climate policy squarely at the centre of China’s post-Covid recovery. It revives international action on climate change, and it opens the door to a new era of cooperation between the EU and China.
However, for the potential in China’s new climate pledge to be realised, the EU needs to step up its own climate efforts and keep the pressure on China to develop the policies and milestone targets to meet its commitment. While the leadership in Beijing clearly sees climate action as in the country’s own interests, it will face considerable domestic resistance.
