From Climate Depot

By Marc Morano

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4y159190go

BBC Excerpt: In a video statement to the UN in New York, President Xi Jinping said that China would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 7-10% by 2035, while “striving to do better”.

But some critics said China’s plan did not go as far as hoped to keep global climate goals in reach.

“Even for those with tempered expectations, what’s presented today still falls short,” said Yao Zhe, global policy adviser at Greenpeace East Asia.

Back in 2021, President Xi announced that China would aim to peak its emissions this decade and reach “carbon neutrality” by 2060.
“These targets represent China’s best efforts based on the requirements of the Paris agreement,” President Xi said.

He added China would:

expand wind and solar power capacity to more than six times 2020 levels
increase forest stocks to more than 24bn cubic metres
make “new energy vehicles” the mainstream in new vehicle sales

China was responsible for more than a quarter of planet-warming emissions in 2023, at almost 14bn tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.

A 10% reduction in China’s emissions would equate to 1.4bn tonnes a year, which is nearly four times the UK’s total annual emissions.

But China’s new target does fall short of what would be needed to meet international climate goals.

“Anything less than 30% is definitely not aligned with 1.5 degrees,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Earlier this week, a report by the Stockholm Environment Institute warned that governments around the world are collectively planning to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be in line with keeping to 1.5C.

It had, for example, pledged to reach a capacity of 1,200 gigawatts for wind and solar power by 2030. It smashed through that goal in 2024 – six years early.

“There’s a case to be made that Beijing missed a trick in landing a more ambitious goal as it would have won broad global praise – a stark contrast to the US,” she added.

Today’s new target signals “the beginning of decarbonisation after decades of rapid emissions growth”, he added.

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China commits to cutting up to 10% of its climate pollution, short of the goal other countries sought of it

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/climate/china-climate-pollution-goal

CNN excerpt: In a consequential move for the global climate, China committed Wednesday to reduce its planet-warming pollution by 7% to 10% from peak levels over the next decade. China’s new economy-wide goal takes on outsized importance given the country is both the biggest emitter of global warming pollutants and by far the dominant player in renewable energy around the world.

The goal, announced in a pre-recorded video by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a UN General Assembly climate meeting, falls far short of the 30% cuts the Biden administration had been pressing for. But China’s growth in renewable energy manufacturing and domestic deployment mean that it may overachieve — which it has done on previous goals.

Most recently, China gave itself until “around” 2030 to peak its climate pollution. Independent analysis shows it is likely this peak has already happened, five years ahead of schedule, and pollution is now starting to decline.

Instead, the two countries are on sharply divergent paths with the Trump administration extolling the benefits of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Trump denied the reality of climate change in a speech at the UN on Tuesday, calling it a “con job,” and warned other nations against expanding the use of renewable energy.

In his message, Xi portrayed doubling down on renewables as the best path forward, while seemingly calling out the fossil-fuel path Trump has put the US on.

“Green and low carbon transition is the trend of our time, while some country is acting against it, the international community should stay focused on the right direction,” Xi said, according to a UN translator.

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Reuters: China plans 7-10% greenhouse gas reduction by 2035, Xi tells UN

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/un-chief-tells-countries-new-climate-targets-must-go-futher-faster-2025-09-24

Excerpt: WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told the United Nations that by 2035, his country plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% below its peak and called out “some countries” for moving against the global clean energy transition.

Xi addressed a climate leaders’ summit hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a live video message from Beijing, announcing China’s national climate plan ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil in November.
China, responsible for 30 percent of global emissions, had previously pledged to peak its carbon output before 2030 — a goal it appears on track to meet five years early.

The new target for 2035 is backed by commitments to expand wind and solar six times over 2020 levels, drastically expand forests, and ramp up electric cars production.Most wealthy nations, historically the biggest contributors to warming, peaked decades ago but still lack credible plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

But by presenting a target well ahead of COP30, the year’s main climate gathering in Belem, Brazil, China signals its ongoing commitment to the international process even as the US under Trump champions fossil fuels and the EU struggles to unite around its plan.