CHINA is on course to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, says Mr Li Weidong, Chairman of the Board of China Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute (CERI).
The country is also committed to meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 which relates to provision of clean, reliable and affordable energy for all by 2030, he added.
Mr Weidong, said these in his response to a question asked by a Ghanaian Times journalist at a press briefing on Wednesday.
He told participants made up of journalists from Africa, Asia-Pacific, representatives of the Chinese Foreign Ministry as well as Asia-Pacific and Africa Press Centre, China International Press Communication Centre that reduction of emission was part of China’s national policy.
China is already leading in renewable energy production figures. It is currently the world’s largest producer of wind and solar energy, and the largest domestic and outbound investor in renewable energy. Four of the world’s five biggest renewable energy deals were made by Chinese companies in 2016.
At the same time, China, the United States, India, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and four other countries are responsible for 60 per cent of global emissions.
Climate activists continue to express concern that the world risked total extinction by 2100 due to rising sea level if world leaders failed to take concrete action to address climate change
But Mr Weidong whose organisation is spearheading a strategic plan to change the narrative, said CERI was optimising wind, solar and photovoltaics to prevent the worst impact of climate change.
He urged other countries to conserve energy in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine, noting that parts of China suffered droughts because of the crisis.
Prior to assuring China’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, Mr Weidong noted in his welcome address that China Huaneng Group acted as a flagship of China’s electrical industry, and led the progress of the power generation sector.
As a new energy research institute directly under Huaneng Group, Mr Weidong said that CERI remained focused on achieving the “dual-carbon goals”, and played an active role in structure adjustment, team building, and capacity strengthening.
“We have upgraded our research power from coal-based clean energy to new energy, obtaining key results in the core technologies of wind power, solar power, hydrogen power, and energy storage.”
Turning his attention to happenings across the globe, the COVID-19, Russia’s war on Ukraine and rising inflation, Mr Weidong noted that peace was central in these times of uncertainties.
Mr Weidong observed that the media played a crucial role in helping build bridges and strengthening friendship between countries.
“It is the diligent work and unremitting efforts of media practitioners that have built a bridge for countries to conduct in-depth communication and peoples to strengthen their friendship.”
FROM MALIK SULLEMANA, BEIJING
