How China overtook the US in leading the battle against climate change
Beijing has shifted from being the world’s worst polluter to the biggest power everyone’s now counting on to steer the fight against global warming
China was once the bad boy of climate change. But with US President Donald Trump on the verge of pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, it’s now poised to be the global leader.
The United States and China are the top two polluters in the world, although Chinese carbon dioxide emissions are double that of the US – China released over 10 million kilotons of carbon dioxide in 2013.
With the United States’ exit from the historic climate deal seeming increasingly likely, we take a look at the two countries’ changing climate policies.
What is China’s climate change policy?
In recent years, China has been pouring cash into low-carbon industries at home, and taking a leadership role on climate change agreements abroad.
China plans to spend over US$361 billion on renewable energy by 2020, and has made low-carbon growth one of its top priorities. Last year it invested US$88 billion in renewable energy, the highest amount in the world, and spent a record US$32 billion on renewable projects abroad.
During the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, China helped negotiate the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement, prompting former US president Barack Obama to thank Chinese President Xi Jinping for his help.
Earlier this year, Xi defended the Paris climate agreement at the World Economic Forum and called for stronger international cooperation.