China’s Responsibility for Climate Change: Demands from the Maldives and China’s Efforts on Green Energy – CNBC Insight

CNBC Insight

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Every time the annual United Nations Climate Conference (COP) event takes place, the Maldives is one of the countries that is quite vocal about the importance of the dangers of climate change. The reason is clear, the Maldives will feel the most because it is threatened with drowning due to rising sea levels following an increase in global temperatures.

In fact, if there are no significant changes, it is believed that in 2100 the Maldives will remain in name. In this condition, the Maldives is a victim of the ferocity of climate change which it did not do alone.

Because, writes Jason Hickel in “Quantifying National Responsibility for Climate Breakdown” (2020), the responsibility for the grave sins for the destruction of the earth should target big and rich countries. Not a poor country or an archipelago, like the Maldives.

So, it is only natural that this island nation in the Indian Ocean demands big countries to take responsibility. This is because the country is actually innocent because it only emits very small carbon emissions.

And one of the target countries that is being held responsible is China.

The demands on China certainly align with reports that China tops the standings for the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitter. This was revealed by the World Bank in its 2022 report.

It is known, since 2006 China has been responsible for 27% of world carbon emissions with a total of 14 billion tons per year. Worse, as reported Bloomberg (2021), millions of carbon emissions are contributed by just 1-2 companies, whose total annual emissions are equivalent to the combined emissions of several countries

For example, the oil company Petrochina Company Ltd, which emits 881 million tons of carbon per year. This figure is equivalent to the combined annual carbon emissions of Vietnam and South Korea.

Beneath that is the state-owned electricity company Huaneng Power International, which produces 317 million tons of carbon per year. This amount is equivalent to the UK’s total annual emissions.

From an economic point of view, the large number of carbon emissions is clearly related to China’s aggressiveness to become the ‘King’ of the world. Since the 1980s and increasingly massive in the 21st century, China seems not to care about climate and environmental damage.

What’s important is that development goes on, both at home and abroad, even though it’s through investment instruments. Even so, such conditions are actually inversely proportional.

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According to reports Global Times (2021), the Chinese government is starting to open its eyes and accept world input on climate damage. In fact, President Xi Jinping promised not to build new coal-fired power projects at home and abroad.

He is also committed to his seriousness in achieving green energy. It even supports other countries making energy transitions.

In fact, the ‘drum of war’ against the climate crisis has been echoed by China in the 2015 Paris Agreement due to increasing air pollution some time before the agreement. To quote The Guardianat the time, Beijing promised to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 and end total carbon use by 2060.

To achieve this, China has globally set up a US$3.1 billion climate cooperation endowment and undertaken several major initiatives. According to the Chinese government itself this is also “sacrificing economic development.”

This sacrifice can be seen in China’s policy of stopping the opening of coal power plants. In fact, citing reports Green Finance & Development CenterThe Bamboo Curtain country has stopped investing in the project abroad, even though it has the potential to be profitable if it continues.

Zimbabwe became the first country to be affected by this policy. To quote Bloomberga US$ 3 billion coal power plant project there was abandoned by China as a commitment to green energy.

As a result of the energy transition, China then shifted its money in a more useful direction. BBC noted, China subsequently invested heavily in the renewable energy sector.

Elite Beijing prefers to build wind power projects. Including investing in electric cars, and putting money into renewable energy projects.

Specifically for the latter, China has succeeded in making large-scale solar panels and batteries. Thanks to this, Overseas Development Institute researcher Yue Cao, explained that China has become a leading country in the global energy transition.

This success made the United States (US) climate ambassador and former US Secretary of State John Kerry give a thumbs up to Beijing. In an opinion entitled “Don’t Let China Win the Green Race” Of New York TimesKerry said China was more advanced and asked the US to imitate China’s policies so as not to be left behind.

Not only that, thanks to this recovery effort, NASA said China, along with India, had become greener in the last 20 years. That is, there is an expansion of tree planting there.

Even though there have been significant changes there, researchers from the London School of Economy explained that it would be in vain if there were no similar commitments from all countries in the world. This is because the annual contribution of carbon is not only contributed by China, but also the US, India, European countries, as well as Indonesia.

So, we need a commitment to one world. Moreover, if not to reduce carbon emissions in order to avoid the occurrence of the ‘apocalypse’.

(mfa/sef)