Developed countries lack 'political will' to act on Climate Change: China

Ahead of the UN summit, China has alleged that the developed nations including the United States lack the "political will" and are doing very little to combat climate change. Though China is itself the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, it has repeatedly stressed the need for developed countries to stress-reducing carbon emission. Zhao Yingmin, vice-minister of ecology and environment, at a press conference on November 27 said that the developed countries' insufficient political will to provide support is the biggest problem hindering international climate efforts. Likewise, another report by the Chinese environment ministry released at the briefing also criticised the US. It said the unilateral behaviours seriously harm the global community's willingness and trust in tackling climate change together, inferring the pullout of the US from the Paris agreement.

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China and climate group criticises the US

As per reports, the United States produced most oil and gas in the world and is the world's number two coal producer after China. At the briefing, Zhao called for developed countries to honour financial commitments including providing $100 billion to poorer states harmed by climate change. The fund was a nonbinding accompaniment to the Paris Agreement and was the annual amount that rich countries pledged to muster by 2020 which is also committed by China. At the same time, the European Commission has asked the EU to adopt a carbon border tax that would impose higher tariffs on imported goods made through greenhouse gas-intensive processes. Yet these taxes currently being considered by "some developed countries" would "seriously harm" the global community's willingness to tackle the issue, said the Chinese report.

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Zhao's statement came ahead of the UN summit to be held at Madrid where the countries will discuss the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. On Tuesday, the UN alerted the countries worldwide that they will miss its chance to avert climate disaster without an immediate fall in fossil fuel emissions. Likewise, on Monday climate groups quoted that the US and Europe have caused more than half of the environmental damage, based on their historic greenhouse gas emissions and so has to bear the cost of repair as well. 

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China claims to have met carbon reduction ahead of schedule

On Wednesday, China said it has realised its 2020 target for reducing carbon emissions ahead of schedule. The ecology and environment ministry published a report Wednesday saying China’s CO2 emissions per unit of GDP had fallen in 2018 by 4% from a year earlier to stand at 45.8% less than in 2005. Vice Minister Zhao Yingmin told reporters that completed the target of CO2 reduction for 2020 ahead of schedule and that was the “hard-won result from the efforts of promoting green and low carbon economy”. Yet Tuesday's UN report cited that China's absolute carbon emissions have continued to rise. Beijing's planned coal powerplants were equivalent to all of the EU's current generating capacity, mentioned a separate report.

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