The World has come to a point of collapse. Most studies are indicative of a decadent future beginning from 2030s, leaving us barely a decade to fix things.
Every country may follow its own schedule, there is no binding law yet for Climate action and concerned restrictions. Yet each country tries to contribute for consensus and maintain a fine balance between its developmental needs and that of Planet’s.
Climate change is definitely a global threat and therefore will require only global solutions to mitigate its worst impacts. We have seen this case well enough during the Pandemic.
Covid was not a single country’s burden and pain, it proved a disaster for many, swiping out lives one-by-one and squeezing the Nations’ economy.
Yet we may find that a few selected ones have to play a pivotal role, more pronounced than the others in fight against climate change. For instance, India’s role in “net-zero” classics have been seen as a “Conductor”.
In order to enforce Climate justice, it’s a rule that there has to be common but differentiated efforts.
Depending upon various factors like demography, money or technology, a few countries may find more responsibility on their shoulders, especially if their Carbon footprint exceeds the others.
A new study sheds light on China:
According to the Rhodium Group, a think tank measuring annual global greenhouse gas emissions: China contributed 27% to the world’s greenhouse gases in 2019 alone.
The total global emissions for all the gases in Kyoto Protocol have reached 52 gigatons of CO2-equivalent in 2019, recording a 11.4% increase over the past decade. Hence, 2019 became the second warmest year after 2016.
These gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphurhexafluoride (SF6).
It also stated that “China’s emissions have not only eclipsed those of the US, world’s second-largest emitter at 11% of the global total — but also, for the first time, surpassed the emissions of all developed countries combined”.
“When added together, GHG emissions from all members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as well as all 27 EU member states, reached 14,057 MMt CO2e in 2019, about 36 MMt CO2e short of China’s total”.
This shows clearly that if China fails to address this and curb its emissions, the World will fall short in achieving its target of “Net-zero” or if a few countries may achieve, it may not turn favorable because of China’s almost 0ne-third share in it.
It is to note that China’s GHG emissions crossed the 14 gigaton threshold for the first time, reaching 14,093 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MMt CO2e) in 2019.
A prominent reason is that China continues to rely heavily on coal-powered plants, more than half the world’s capacity hosted by it. There are approximately 1,058 such plants in operation and many more upcoming, across the country.
However, we can note that the country is home to more than 1.4 billion people and per capita emissions which are significantly lower than those in the developed world.
“In 2019, China’s per capita emissions reached 10.1 tons, nearly tripling over the past two decades. This comes in just below average levels across the OECD bloc (10.5 tons/capita) in 2019, but still significantly lower than the US, which has the highest per capita emissions in the world at 17.6 tons/capita,” duly noted by Rhodium.
In tandem, according to the Climate Action Tracker, tracking the governments’ climate action, China’s NDC(Nationally Determined Contributions) rating is “highly insufficient” and “are not at all consistent with holding warming to below 2C”.
Pandemic and emissions:
Covid engulfed us in 2020 and we are curious about its impacts in raw figures. It has not been compiled in toto, it is expected that China will surpass all emissions, at least by OECD.
Sources point out that China’s registered an emissions’ growth around 1.7% while emissions from almost all other nations declined sharply.
Where does India stand?
India, the world’s second most populous Nation after China, came third with 6.6% of emissions after US. Even India’s emissions were found to be more than the entire European Union.
India’s per capita emissions still continue to be one of the lowest.
It becomes an imperative that there is a gross consensus needed on this issue. Disagreements between two power houses like US and China can derail the hard-earned progress.
China has, nevertheless, vowed to reach net-zero emissions by 2060 and peak no later than 2030. It has been working closely with countries but its soaring ambitions across Asia, Africa and the consequent World may inhibit its generous aim.
Our battle with Covid has convinced by every means, that Nature may send more troubles our way if we do not pacify with it.
With UN dedicating this decade for Ecosystem restoration and highly anticipated COP26 on its way, Human race has every reason to be hopeful.