In a new report by think tank Rhodium Group published on May 6, 2021, it was found that China emits greenhouse gas pollution more than the 37 member nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
In 2019, the country created 27 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases. With this, China produces more than a quarter of global climate pollution. The US stood as the second-largest contributor of greenhouse gas pollution at 11 per cent, while India was ranked third with 6 per cent of the world’s emissions.
The level of greenhouse gas emissions by China has tripled since 1990. Since then, China has produced 14 gigatons of carbon dioxide alone, the report noted.
The Rhodium Group has predicted that the per capita emissions of China will exceed the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s average for that year. It is noted that China’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1.7 per cent during the pandemic while many developed nations witnessed a decline in emissions.
Climate Action: China
•In September 2020, President Xi Jinping had announced that the country will work on its 2030 climate target (NDC) and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
•It will do so by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the share of non-fossil fuels, and increasing forest coverage.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action
The Sustainable Development Goal 13 by the United Nations urges the nations to take urgent actions against climate change and its impacts.
As per the UN Environment Programme, climate change has led to an increase in the average global temperature from 1880 to 2012 by 0.85 degree Celsius, an increase in the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent since 1990, rise in the global sea level by 19 cm during 1901 to 2010.
As per the UN, the year 2019 was recorded to be the second warmest year. The warmest year so far has been 2016.
The five targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action are:
•Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change and natural disasters in all countries,
•Integrate climate change measures into national policies, planning, and strategies,
•Improve education around climate change, increase awareness and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, early warning, impact reduction, and adaption,
•Implement the UN Framework Convention on climate change and operationalize the Green Climate Fund,
•Promote mechanisms to raise the capacity for effective climate change-related management and planning in the least developed countries and small islands.
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