The European Commission urged China to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030, Science Direct reported on Wednesday.
Being the world largest CO2-emitter, China should control renewable energy activity, said the EU Energy and Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete. The EU official believes that China is able to peak its CO2 emission before 2030 and, thus, to meet its 2015 Paris Agreement goal.
“We call on China to peak its emissions before 2030 in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and inspire action globally,” Miguel Arias Cañete wrote on Twitter.
For China, the largest emitter and investor in renewable energy on the planet, the issue of CO2 emissions is crucial. The same for the European Union, which intends to review EU-China relations and challenges, especially in ecology and the renewable energy sector. Some underdeveloped western provinces experience higher carbon intensity, while other economically developed eastern provinces enjoy lower carbon intensity from 2005 to 2015.
The key targets for 2030 are:
- at least 40% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels),
- at least 32% share for renewable energy,
- at least 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency.
Against the backdrop of China’s growing economic power and political influence, the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini reviewed relations between the Asian state and the EU and set out 10 concrete actions on 12 March for the EU’s leaders to discuss and endorse at the European Council of 21 March. One of the most important paras in that document will be including Action 2 which especially calls on EU calls on China to peak its emissions before 2030 and meets its 2015 Paris Agreement goals.
According to Federica Mogherini, the next EU-China summit is scheduled for early April. Taking into account that EU and China are longtime strategic partners, the European Union pursues strong bilateral and multilateral cooperation on files where we share interests, from trade to connectivity, “from the JCPOA to climate change”.
