China will face pressure to do more if climate goals ‘too easy’: US official
A senior US climate official said countries that set climate goals that were “too easy” could face international pressure to ratchet them up.
Todd Stern, the US special envoy on climate change, said on Wednesday the five-year review system established under the Paris Agreement in December meant nations that were on track to surpass their existing targets would come under pressure to raise their goals.
Stern, speaking after meeting Chinese officials, gave China as an example, but said he was “not picking on” the country.
READ MORE: China’s climate envoy bullish on hitting reduction goal for 2020
“In 2020, if anyone can see clearly that China is going to peak its carbon emissions earlier than 2030 and that it will post well above a 65 per cent improvement in carbon intensity, then it will be up to the Chinese government to decide whether to increase targets. But obviously there are going to be a lot of public and international opinions looking forward to additional measures,” he said.
China made both pledges for 2030 before the Paris conference that established the five-year review system.
Under the system, in 2020, countries like China that had set targets for 2030 will be expected to communicate their goals for 2025. Countries like the US that had set targets for 2025 will be expected to set targets for 2030.
“The important thing is this is the structure that is built into the Paris Agreement. If your target is too easy – whether it’s China’s or any other country’s – there’s going to be at least some positive incentives to increase it,” Stern said.
READ MORE: How a deal was sealed – behind the scenes of historic US-China climate pact
Energy experts have projected that China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, could peak its carbon emissions five years earlier than planned, in 2025.
They point to the slowdown in GDP growth, plans to restructure the economy and efforts to tackle air pollution.
In an interview prior to Stern’s remarks, Xi Zhenhua, China’s special representative for climate change, saidthe country was on track for a 50 per cent drop in carbon intensity by 2020 from 2005 levels. This would be higher than the pledged drop of between 40 to 45 per cent.
Despite China’s coal consumption dropping for a second year in a row, Xie was reluctant to say whether China would peak its carbon emissions earlier than estimated. He said China’s economy still faced uncertainties.
