China's Renewable Energy Strategy - Case Study Example

CHINA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY STRATEGY Student’s name: Paper name: Instructor’s name: Date: Abstract China has positioned itself as one of the global nations that have embraced the transition to renewable energy in the endeavour to protect the environment. The country cannot sacrifice the environment at the expense of economic growth. The blueprint towards the implementation of clean energy is the shift from conventional energy sources such as coal and carbon and the immediate adoption of clean energy such as solar and wind. Lowering the consumption of coal and other fossil fuels plays a pivotal role in the fight against the global climate change. The 13th Five Year Plan developed by China sets energy and climate targets that are substantial towards the transition of the county to clean energy. The Plan targets reductions in both energy and carbon intensity. The Plan comes at a time when the country has witnessed a decrease in energy intensity from 16% to 15% accompanied by an increase in carbon intensity from 17% to 18%. Even though China witnessed the increase in the carbon footprint, it achieved the anticipated goals of the 12th Five Year Plan. Introduction The race towards transitioning to renewable energy is on. China has endeavoured to attain massive reductions in its carbon footprint; bearing in mind the fact that it is one of the countries that emit largest volumes of carbon.1 China objective aimed at reducing the use of conventional fossil fuels turned out successful in the 12th Five Year Plan as the country managed to record overall reductions in both carbon and energy intensity. At the end of the 12th Five Year Plan, the country managed to reduce energy intensity and carbon intensity by 18.2% and 20% respectively. The 11th Five Year Plan also recorded a 20.2% reduction in the carbon intensity.2 The successful reductions indicate that the country is performing tremendously in its quest to transition from conventional energy to renewable energy such as hydro power, solar power, and wind energy. Lawmakers regard the 13th Five Year Plan to be the “greenest” blueprint towards the green energy development endeavour. The essay covers the strategies that China intends to employ in the transition to renewable energy as well as the role of the country’s consent to the Paris Agreement and the impact of the agreement on the endeavour. How China intends to shift to Renewable Energy Reducing the consumption of coal is one of the central objectives that the country intends to achieve while transitioning to renewable energy. To be price, China intends to slash coal consumption by 160 million tonnes before 2020. Since the country exhibits a massive dependence on fossil energy, slashing coal consumption will accompany a 15% increase in the use of non-fossil energy. An increase in the environmental carbon footprint emanating from the use of coal and other fossil fuels contributes to lung cancer. Moreover, it has already impacted negatively on the life expectancy of individuals that live in Beijing by reducing their life expectancy by 5.5 years.3 The road towards renewable energy entails the use of cleaner energy sources that include hydropower, solar, wind, and nuclear. Over the years, China had found it difficult to achieve reductions in coal consumption. However, 2014 turned out to be a turnaround year for the country as it managed to reduce coal consumption by 2.2%. The figure indicates that the country is on the right track in the move towards facing out coal and other fossil fuels as the primary source of energy. Currently, coal consumption provides 66% of the primary energy used by the country. The figure indicates a substantial overdependence on coal as a source of energy on the part of the country. In fact, the figure surpasses the global average by 35 points thereby revealing that China contributes significantly towards environmental pollution that emanates from coal consumption. In the ‘War against pollution’, declaration, China developed several measures aimed at reducing coal-based environmental pollution. These include banning over 7 million vehicles whose emission levels surpassed the levels set by the nation. The war also witnessed the shutting down of 50,000 furnaces fired by coal.4 The war also resulted in the installation of filtration equipments in factories and power plants. Moreover, China also increased the number of sewage treatment plants. Instead of raising the cost of producing fossil fuels by eliminating subsidies, China has decided to invest massively in alternative and “greener” sources of energy. The move emanates from the fact that the country does not intend to record any growth in coal or fossil fuel consumption. The multi-step mechanism of pricing electricity is one of the latest measures that China has implemented in the war against coal and fossil fuel consumption. The reduction in carbon emissions emanates from the dire need to reduce the associated climate change effects as well as smog.5 In 2017, China intends to launch a carbon emissions trading market for the country. The Chinese Government has already allotted carbon emission levels for different companies that operate within its jurisdiction. The objective of the market is to fine listed companies whose emission levels surpass the levels set by the Government. The market will permit companies whose emission levels are below the allotted levels to sell the excess carbon emission quota. In 2014, China invested $90 billion in the development of renewable energy. Solar energy is one of the areas that the country has invested massively. China has targeted Gobi Desert as the favourable destination for solar power investments. China is also the world’s largest producer of wind energy. Wind energy investment has seen the country deploy wind turbines in West China. Before 2020, the country intends to double its production of wind energy. The country is also the greatest producer of hydroelectric power. It is evident that China’s hydropower dams account for 50% of the total number of hydropower dams in the world.6 This indicates the massive efforts of the country towards transitioning to renewable energy. The Chinese Government intends to increase its investment in renewable energy as a strategy of reducing the dependence of the country on coal and fossil fuels. China and the Paris Agreement 2015 In the Paris Climate Summit, China insisted on the necessity of developed nations to make significant reductions in carbon emissions prior to entering the agreement of reducing its emissions further.7 The fact that the continued shift from conventional energy sources that result in carbon emissions impacts adversely on the economic growth of the nation that undertakes the initiative formed the basis of China’s argument. China also insisted that developed countries should honour their pledge of financing climate change by upholding the Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) principle.8 The resultant consensus from the Paris Climate Summit was legally binding to all attendee members states including China. The Consensus stated that it was the responsibility of all member states to limit global warming to 2oC above the pre-industrial level before the end of the century. The overall implication is a consequent reduction in global warming by 1.5oC. China played a central role in the Paris negotiations bearing in mind the critical role that it plays on the international scene. The Paris Agreement resulted in several implications for the People’s Republic of China. In accordance with the Agreement, China should produce reports on its carbon emissions over a five year interval. However, this is a requirement that China has already implemented prior to the Paris Summit. Having played a pivotal role in influencing the outcome of the Paris Agreement, China faces the challenge of transitioning from convention energy sources such as coal and fossil fuels to renewable greener sources of energy. The country understands that the rapid growth of its economy over the recent decades borrowed substantially from fossil fuels and coal consumption.9 Therefore, it faces the challenge of changing from one of their primary drivers of economic growth to greener energy sources. It is apparent that achieving a low-carbon economy depends not only on comprehensive and well-intentioned environmental plans and policies but also the effective handling of the associated challenges. Some of the challenges include reforming state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and local governments that have invested in carbon-intensive firms. The marketing of economies and political decentralisation compelled local governments to take sides with carbon-intensive investments because they contributed significantly to economic growth. Conclusion The global outcry of global warming and the increasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere compelled many countries to transition to renewable energy such as hydropower, wind power, and solar power. Being a prime contributor to the emissions, China also indicated its interest in reducing the atmospheric carbon footprint by shifting from conventional coal and fossil fuels to greener energy sources. The objective has seen the country set targets on a five-year interval to track its race towards a greener economy. The Paris Agreement 2015 also reiterated the need for member states to reduce carbon emissions and attain the desired level of global warming. The implication of the Agreement on China was the need to intensify its efforts towards reducing coal consumption. Bibliography Jacoby, Henry D., and Y-HH Chen, Expectations for a new climate agreement, MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change (2014). Li, Anthony HF, Hopes of Limiting Global Warming? China and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, China Perspectives 1 (2016) 49. Lin, Alvin, How China’s 13th Five Year Plan Climate and Energy Targets Accelerate its Transformation to Clean Energy (NRDC, 2016). < https://www.nrdc.org/experts/alvin-lin/how-chinas-13th-five-year-plan-climate-and-energy-targets-accelerate-its> Liu, Yuanyuan, Chinas Investment in Renewable Energy Surpasses Europe, U.S. Combined (RenewableEnergyWorld, 2015). < http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/11/china-s-investment-in-renewable-energy-surpasses-europe-u-s-combined.html> Liu, Zhu, China’s Carbon Emissions Report 2015, (Harvard Kennedy School: Cambridge, 2015). Reuters, China to slash coal consumption by 160mn tons in 5 years (China Daily, 2015). < https://www.rt.com/business/238301-china-energy-pollution-coal/> Zhou, Nan, China's energy and carbon emissions outlook to 2050 (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2011). Read More