China, Climate Change World Leader?

Long been labelled a global climate change villain for being the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China is making rapid progress in clean energy development. In fact, in many aspects China is leading the world in the fight against climate change.

Mathew Murphy in Sydney Morning Herald (15 October 2009):

CHINA has long been labelled a global climate change villain – unwilling to commit to a firm emissions reduction target and rigid towards reducing its carbon footprint to the same level as developed countries despite being the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide.

But to paint this picture in black and white ignores the rapid progress China is making in clean energy development. In fact, in many aspects China is leading the world in the fight against climate change.

As the Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, arrives in Beijing for high-level talks with policy makers, the Climate Group’s recent report China’s Clean Revolution II highlights what the Asian powerhouse is doing, not just for the sake of the climate, but for its own sake.

Changhua Wu, the China director for the Climate Group, said the country’s climate change image was undergoing a makeover.

”We are definitely a good guy now. Where have people been?” she said. ”For a long time China was painted as a bad guy. Countries like China and India have been in that category, but starting this year, with more and more information being disclosed to the international community, they are starting to recognise the contribution that China has been making.

”The top leadership in China decided to take an alternative paradigm for the sake of the country. Renewable energy is now considered as a strategic element in the country’s future competitiveness internationally,” Ms Wu said.

One of the first signs that China was choosing a greener path was its 4000 billion yuan ($646 billion) stimulus package. Almost 40 per cent was directed towards green initiatives. That compared with the US’s injection of $US787 billion ($867 billion), where 12 per cent was aimed at renewables, building efficiency and low carbon vehicles. Australia’s commitment falls further back, with $US26.7 billion spent across the country but only 9 per cent committed to climate change investment. This came largely from the Government’s pink-batt policy to insulate 2.7 million homes.

The United Nations climate chief, Yvo de Boer, said China’s stimulus package would position it as a world leader in fighting global warming, and well ahead of the US in dealing with climate change.

While China eclipsed the US as the largest national emitter of greenhouse gas in 2007, its 1.3 billion citizens emit less per capita than do those of the US and European Union, and below the global average. To help bring that figure down further, energy efficiency is ”the number one priority of the Chinese Government”, Ms Wu said.

”China’s energy efficiency has improved dramatically but still if you compare energy efficiency levels to other countries China is still lagging behind,” she said.

The Chinese Government had adopted a multi-faceted approach to climate change. Its attention to renewable energy has come about because it has found a market to sell into.

The Climate Group report shows that 44 per cent of the world’s solar photovoltaic was produced by China last year.

”With the global financial crisis the international solar market almost disappeared, so that had a major impact on the industry,” Ms Wu said. ”About 70 per cent of the industry in China was consolidated by larger companies like Suntech. What is left in the market are only the leading solar companies.”

In fact what is happening in China is affecting Australian solar. Last month Solar Systems went into receivership. Its planned solar power station destined for Victoria’s north-west has been mothballed, priced out by a country that is manufacturing solar products at a staggering rate and cheaply.

Growth in installed wind turbines is faster in China than in any other country. Wind power in 2008 topped 12 gigawatts – a figure that is doubling every year. The country has committed to a renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2020.

This week China Daily quoted a senior energy official as saying China would have 100 gigawatts of wind-power capacity by 2020 – more than three times the 30 GW target the Government has proposed. China wants to increase its wind power capacity to 20 GW by next year, suggesting it will smash the 2020 target.

As the road leads to Copenhagen, and potentially a new global climate change deal, China is in an interesting position. If the world signs up to a post-Kyoto emissions reduction target, China will assist in bringing down the world’s emissions with a big role in manufacturing.

Ms Wu said the Copenhagen deal needs to offer technology transfer agreements, more robust than in Kyoto, to get China on board.

Commentators expect a tough fight to get China over the line at Copenhagen but the President, Hu Jintao, appears to be listening. Last month he vowed to reduce China’s greenhouse gases by a ”notable margin” by 2020 but warned his country’s economic growth would not be sacrificed and that cuts would be measured in units of gross domestic product.

He would not lock in a firm commitment on how much China plans to cut emissions by.

Senator Wong will meet China’s key climate change policymaker today, the National Development and Reform Commission vice-chairman, Xie Zhenhua, to discuss the country’s strategy leading into Copenhagen.

China will not forgo economic prosperity for the sake of global warming but it has recognised a business opportunity in greening its economy. Recent signals from its leaders show that China could be amenable to a global climate change deal although on its terms.

It is set to play a lead role at Copenhagen – not least in showing the world how to position itself to take advantage of the upside.

Source: www.smh.com.au