Low Carbon Transitions in China: Opportunities and Challenges
Speaker: Dr Frauke Urban, Senior Lecturer in Environment and Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS,
University of London
Date: 15th January 2016
Mitigating emissions leading to climate change, increasing the share of non-fossil fuels and diversifying the economy are at the core of China’s recent government agenda. Yet, the challenges are huge. The presentation sheds light on China’s domestic efforts for a low carbon transition and discuss the wider international context, most importantly under the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change that just culminated in the Paris Agreement.
The presentation elaborates the opportunities and challenges China faces for a transition from a fossil fuel-based, high carbon economy to a low carbon economy. China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the world’s largest energy user, in absolute terms. China’s per capita GHG emissions and energy use are comparable with those of the European Union, but are steadily growing. Heavily reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, results in adverse environmental effects such as air pollution, contributions to climate change and natural resource depletion, which in turn has socio-economic implications. At the same time, China is the world’s leading investor in renewable energy. The country is also a technological leader in renewable energy, such as in hydropower, wind energy and solar energy (both solar photovoltaics and solar water heaters) and it has the world’s largest domestic installed capacity of hydropower, wind energy and solar water heaters. China is also investing in overseas energy resources and energy infrastructure, such as large hydropower dams, particularly in Asia and Africa.