Chinese President Xi Jinping recently (March 5) called for investments in coal technologies to fight the energy crisis, breaking the promises he had made for climate goals.
President Xi's declaration about coal output enhancement would pose a threat to the global community as well as a threat to the climate. There are major reasons why the Chinese government's prejudice toward coal could be a crisis for the country and globally, reported The HK Post.
Xi stated that the country could not simply introduce bars on coal production as electricity demand has grown exponentially in China over the years. To sustain the demand, Beijing increased coal production.
China accounted for 33 per cent of CO2 emissions globally in the year 2021. Between the years 2019 and 2021, C02 emissions increased by 750 million tonnes. Coal remains the main reason for increasing CO2 emissions.
Moreover, the Chinese government has developed coal as their main energy source. Around 50 per cent of energy consumption in the country is utilized from coal, reported The HK Post.
Also, China poured a significant amount of money into other countries for developing coal power infrastructures. Burning coal comes at a greater cost for the environment. Too much dependence on coal for construction and allied activities has also become a cause of concern in the country.
Consequently, Beijing witnessed a rise in pollution due to burning of the fossil fuel. It is pointed out that one of the main factors attributed to air pollution is coal combustion. Around this time schools were closed in the city and outdoor activities were restricted. The fact remains that coal production was substantially increased at that time after a decline in supply chains owing to the energy crisis and emission cuts, reported The HK Post.
The Paris Climate agreement intends to contain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But the Chinese government's objective to run the coal plants at full capacity is not to be seen as a positive note for the climate goal.
When countries have restricted their coal capacity by 8.1 gigawatts in 2018 - 19, China accumulated 43GW to their capacity. In the UN Assembly last year President Xi Jinping suggested zero carbon emissions by the year 2060. But researchers suggest China needs to decarbonize faster than their predicted timelines because by 2060 China could significantly raise carbon emissions and damage the climate around the world.
( With inputs from ANI )
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