COP26: urged to act for the climate, “China is caught in its own contradictions”

Published on : 11/03/2021 – 23:13

Although a Chinese delegation is present at the COP26, which takes place until November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping has caused a reaction. “It’s a big mistake, frankly, on the part of China,” blasted Joe Biden Tuesday, November 3 at a press conference, in a tense climate between Washington and Beijing. According to him, China cannot “claim any leadership” by “turning its back” on the climate crisis.

As of Wednesday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, replied, denouncing the “empty words” of the American president. “Actions speak more than words”, he assured, recalling “concrete” commitments of his country against global warming. Among them are the desire to achieve a peak in CO emissions₂ before 2030 and the objective of carbon neutrality by 2060, i.e. ten years after the European Union, the United Kingdom or the United States.

Like more than 100 leaders, China also pledged Tuesday to stop deforestation. It is also the country that invests the most in clean energy, according to the UN. But Beijing is also sending contradictory signals: the world’s leading polluter – accounting for 27% of total greenhouse gas emissions – has not signed the pledge made on Tuesday by more than 80 countries, including members of the EU and US, to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020. In addition, China is still very dependent on coal.

Contacted by France 24, Jean-François Huchet, professor of economics, president of the National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations (Inalco) and author of “The Environmental Crisis in China. Evolutions and Limits of Public Policies” (Presses de Sciences Po, 2016), deciphers China’s ambitions and paradoxes on the environmental level.

France 24: Xi Jinping does not participate in COP26. How do you interpret the decision of the Chinese president?

Jean-François Huchet: It is a way for Xi Jinping to set an example for the population as part of his “zero Covid” strategy. If he had gone to Glasgow, he should, in fact, have respected a quarantine on his return. This decision is also explained by the fact that China no longer wants to be as dependent as before on the international community. She wants to show that she has less need of foreigners, especially in this phase of tensions with the United States. It is a double-edged sword because world public opinion has changed a lot vis-à-vis Beijing. It is now marked by a deterioration of the image of China.

Xi Jinping is also very concerned about internal issues in China and is reluctant to travel outside his country’s borders, as his absence from the G20 has also shown. [à Rome, samedi 30 et dimanche 31 octobre]. In addition, the next Congress of the Communist Party will take place soon. [à l’automne 2022] and Xi Jinping is therefore particularly focused on domestic political issues.

What are the major challenges for China in the fight against climate change? What does the international community expect from it?

The challenges are immense. The situation is still extremely problematic in terms of air pollution and pollutant emissions linked to the use of coal, particularly in thermal power stations and heavy industry. The situation has improved a little compared to 2013-2014. An effort has been made by the Chinese authorities, particularly on coal and on the relocation of a number of highly polluting factories to other provinces. [Pékin a déplacé ces usines à l’extérieur des villes pour réduire le rejet des particules fines et rendre l’air plus respirable en milieu urbain]. But China burns roughly four billion tonnes of coal a year [3,9 milliards en 2020]. It is the equivalent of what is burned in the rest of the world.

China announced on Wednesday a target to reduce the average consumption of coal used for the production of power plants. What are the reasons for China to take these kinds of measures?

China doesn’t really have a choice. Given the environmental data, she saw that she was going straight into the wall. These internal data push it to evolve and invest heavily in green energies. In addition, the proliferation of major environmental scandals [les nuages de pollution entre autres] ended up putting pressure on the government. The population was horrified by this pollution and there was awareness in China of its magnitude. The authorities have discovered the extremely high cost of this public health problem. Faced with these alerts, the government itself realizes that it is necessary to reduce pollution of water, soil or in the treatment of waste.

Is China acting accordingly?

The country cannot withdraw from fossil fuels overnight. For example, if China has refused to drastically reduce its methane emissions, it is because such a decision would call into question entire sections of its economy. She is not ready to give up on this. China continues to pollute enormously because it needs to build housing, cars, and continue its industrial effort. On this aspect, it is not at the same level as Europe. A large part of its population lives in the countryside and the middle classes are still developing.

On the one hand, China is at an economic stage where it needs fossil fuels. On the other hand, she realizes that she cannot push this model to the maximum because all the lights are red. China is caught up in its own contradictions. So, in several decades, a “brown China” and “green China” will certainly have to continue to coexist.

What is the interest for China to invest massively in green energies?

She had to do it and even if it meant doing it, she decided to become a world leader in the field. In this sector, China has virtually no foreign competitors at the international level. It is, for example, the undisputed world leader in solar panels and it is it which leads the dance technologically. This desire to continue this development and to meet ecological expectations pushes it to invest in green energies. It also focuses on these clean energies to be a good student in the eyes of the world but, in my opinion, this strategy comes at the end of the race. The challenge is first of all to dominate on the technological level at the national level and then internationally.

China wants to achieve carbon neutrality in 2060. Is this achievable?

The horizon is far too far away. 2060 is 40 years from now and when you see what has happened for China economically in recent years, it’s difficult to anticipate. In my opinion, China has made this commitment for reasons of image and to align itself with international objectives, at a time when several countries promise to achieve carbon neutrality in the coming decades. But in China, how will this objective be translated? What will be the public and economic and technological policies? It is too early to know. I think you have to be careful.