On 26 October 2021, the State Council released the Carbon Emission Peak Action Plan before 2030, which sets out major targets such as increasing the share of non-fossil energy consumption, improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emission intensity, and calls for the implementation of “ten actions to peak carbon emissions” throughout the whole process and all aspects of economic and social development.
According to the Action Plan, by 2025, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption in China will reach 20 percent, energy consumption per unit of GDP will decrease by 13.5 percent from that in 2020, and carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP will decrease by 18 percent, laying a solid foundation for peaking carbon dioxide emission. By 2030, the share of non-fossil energy consumption in China will reach about 25%, and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will drop by more than 65% compared with that in 2005, with the goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 successfully achieved.
The Action Plan calls for the implementation of “ten actions to peak carbon emissions”, including:
- Green and low-carbon energy transition
- Energy saving, carbon reduction and efficiency increase
- Carbon peaked in industrial sectors
- Urban and rural construction carbon peak
- Green and low-carbon transportation
- Circular economy helping reduce carbon emissions
- Green and low-carbon technological innovation
- Consolidated and improved capacity of carbon sinks
- Green low-carbon national action
- Ordered carbon peak in each region
It also makes appropriate arrangements for international cooperation and strengthened policy support.
The tasks set out in the Plan directly relate to the energy sector, demonstrating China’s determination to achieve carbon emission peak in the energy sector. For example, the green and low-carbon energy transition action calls for safe carbon reduction, implementing the replacement of renewable energy on the premise of ensuring energy security, and accelerating the construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system.
