(Source: China Petroleum Enterprise Public Account 2025-10-09)
Dong Xiucheng
According to China's new round of nationally determined contribution target commitments, "by 2035, China aims to achieve the goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 7% to 10% compared with peak levels, and strive to achieve better results." In accordance with this goal commitment, China's economy-wide greenhouse gas emission control requires a comprehensive review and in-depth analysis. Of course, the realization of the goal will also face governance challenges.
1. What are economy-wide greenhouse gases
Economy-wide greenhouse gases, as an important area of climate and environmental management, are broad and complex in scope. They are not limited to carbon dioxide (CO2) in traditional understanding, but also cover six greenhouse gases including methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The above-mentioned greenhouse gas emissions originate from a variety of economic activities, including the combustion of fossil fuels, agricultural practices, industrial production processes, fossil fuel exploration and extraction, and product use. In order to effectively deal with the severe challenge of greenhouse gas emissions, China has adopted a series of policy measures and established a governance policy of "prioritizing the control of carbon dioxide and then expanding to non-carbon dioxide gases."
2. Current status of greenhouse gas emissions across China’s economy
In recent years, with the rapid development of China's economy, energy consumption has increased dramatically, and the total economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions have also increased. According to the International Energy Agency, China has become the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Although China successfully reduced its carbon emission intensity per unit of GDP through a series of policy measures during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, absolute emissions remain high.
1. The existing energy structure leads to a severe situation of greenhouse gas emissions
The main energy structure challenge China currently faces is that although the government has continued to promote the widespread application and development of clean energy in recent years, the proportion of fossil energy consumption remains high, especially coal, which still occupies the dominant position in energy consumption. This current situation has directly led to the continued high levels of emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide as well as various pollutants in the atmosphere, posing significant pressure on the ecological environment and climate change.
2. Industrial activities constitute one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions
China is still in the late stage of industrialization, and industrial activities constitute one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in China, especially in energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals. While these industries promote economic growth, they also produce large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, non-carbon dioxide gases (such as hydrogen fluoride and nitrogen oxides) produced in industrial processes also constitute important greenhouse gases and have a significant impact on the environment.
3. Agricultural activities and land use transformation constitute an important source of greenhouse gases
Agricultural operations (such as rice cultivation and animal husbandry) and land use transformation (including deforestation and land degradation) constitute important sources of greenhouse gas emissions in China. These practices not only result in the production of large amounts of carbon dioxide, but also affect the natural carbon storage capacity.
4. The problem of greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector is becoming increasingly prominent
In view of the rapid development of the transportation industry brought about by economic development, the rapid development of road transportation, water transportation and air transportation, and the rapid increase in the number of various transportation tools, especially cars, the greenhouse gas emission problem generated by China's transportation field has become increasingly prominent. In particular, high-emission vehicles such as diesel-driven vehicles and heavy-duty trucks have become sources of greenhouse gas emissions that cannot be ignored.
3. China faces daunting challenges in achieving economy-wide greenhouse gas emission control targets
As the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China will face many challenges in achieving its 2035 greenhouse gas control target. However, the primary difficulty is that as a total control indicator, it is significantly different from the "intensity indicator" of previous nationally determined contributions. This requires a clear reduction of the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions and puts forward higher requirements for management. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions need to peak before 2030, which is already a challenging task. The task of ensuring that greenhouse gases in the entire economy reach a peak is even more arduous. After reaching the peak, it is even more difficult to ensure that greenhouse gases fall in line with the target requirements.
1. Economic transformation and low-carbon goals in parallel
China is facing the difficult challenge of promoting low-carbon transformation while maintaining economic growth. There is an inherent contradiction between economic development and environmental protection. How to find a balance between the two and achieve sustainable development is a big problem.
2. Technical difficulties and financial bottlenecks coexist
The R&D and application of clean energy technologies require huge financial support. However, the lack of technological maturity and high costs limit the widespread application of clean energy. In addition, international funding and technical cooperation also face many uncertainties, which increases the difficulty of technology realization.
3. Improvement of policies and regulations and effective implementation
Although China has promulgated a series of environmental protection policies and regulations, they still need to keep pace with the times and continue to improve, especially in the actual implementation process, they still face many challenges. Problems such as local protectionism and low costs for companies to violate laws have seriously affected the effectiveness of policies and hindered the effective implementation of environmental protection regulations.
4. Social awareness and participation are still insufficient
The public’s understanding of climate change is still insufficient, and awareness and actions for energy conservation and emission reduction need to be strengthened urgently. In addition, the participation of all sectors of society in addressing climate change is low and there is a lack of effective collaboration mechanisms, which to a certain extent hinders the advancement of climate action.
4. China needs to take all-round measures to achieve economy-wide greenhouse gas emission control goals
Since the specific value of greenhouse gas emission peak has not yet been finalized, to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions at all scales can be reduced by 7% to 10% by 2030 and beyond, this task undoubtedly requires all sectors of society and all walks of life to work together and adopt more proactive and efficient emission reduction measures. In the context of global climate change, greenhouse gas emissions have become the focus of attention of the international community. As the largest developing country and the second largest economy in the world, China's economic activities have an important impact on the global greenhouse gas emission pattern. The road to a green and low-carbon future is full of challenges but has bright prospects. Facing the severe challenges brought by global climate change, China will unswervingly follow the path of green and low-carbon development, continue to promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind. As you can imagine, the governance of economy-wide greenhouse gases is a complex and arduous task. By clarifying governance guidelines, issuing relevant policies and measures, and responding to challenges and difficulties, China is gradually promoting the realization of this goal. In the future, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous improvement of policies, we have reason to believe that economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions will be effectively controlled and make a positive contribution to global climate governance.
1. Improve the greenhouse gas emission control system
China has clearly formulated a "dual carbon" strategy and introduced a series of carbon dioxide emission control policies. It has also successively issued a series of policy measures such as the "Methane Emission Control Action Plan" and the "Industrial Nitrous Oxide Emission Control Action Plan". These policies aim to comprehensively examine and systematically manage the emissions of various greenhouse gases. The implementation of this policy will not only help clarify the path for emission reduction, but also promote the common attention and action of all sectors of society on the issue of greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Optimize energy consumption structure
Accelerate the transformation and upgrading of coal consumption, and vigorously develop wind energy, solar energy and other renewable energy sources. Through policy guidance and market-oriented mechanisms, we will reduce the proportion of coal consumption and increase the proportion of clean energy. At the same time, we should strengthen the construction of energy infrastructure and improve the reliability and stability of energy supply.
3. Promote industrial upgrading and transformation
Through technological innovation and industrial upgrading, reduce the carbon emission intensity of high-energy-consuming industries. Encourage enterprises to adopt cleaner production technologies and implement energy-saving and emission-reducing transformations. At the same time, we will develop green and low-carbon industries and circular economy to promote high-quality economic development.
4. Strengthen agriculture and land use management
Optimize the agricultural planting structure and promote low-carbon agricultural technologies such as water-saving irrigation and the use of organic fertilizers. Strengthen the protection and management of forest resources and increase forest coverage. At the same time, the land use pattern will be improved through land consolidation and ecological restoration projects.
5. Develop public transportation and new energy vehicles
Increase investment in public transportation, improve public transportation service levels, and expand coverage. Encourage the development and use of new energy vehicles to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions. At the same time, we will strengthen traffic congestion control and improve the informatization level of traffic management.
6. Strengthen international cooperation and exchanges
Actively participate in the global climate change governance system and strengthen cooperation and exchanges with international organizations and developed countries. Introduce advanced technology and funds to jointly address the challenges of global climate change. At the same time, South-South and regional cooperation should be strengthened to promote the global green and low-carbon development process.
7. Increase public awareness and participation
Increase public awareness and participation in climate change through media promotion, education and guidance. Encourage all sectors of society to actively participate in energy conservation and emission reduction actions and the promotion and practice of green and low-carbon lifestyles. At the same time, an effective incentive mechanism and reward and punishment system should be established to stimulate the participation enthusiasm and innovative vitality of the whole society.
Attachment: Original link
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7Dq8QuXi6Z5GCwtLOI_L9A
