World's biggest greenhouse gas emitter China now aims to go carbon neutral by 2060

In what came as a surprise announcement, Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 22 pledged to go carbon neutral by 2060.

He made the bold statement, one that could herald a significant step for the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, during a speech at the UN General Assembly.

He pointed out how the coronavirus pandemic had shown the need to preserve the environment and how humans can no longer afford to ignore the repeated warnings of the nature.

In his speech, the Chinese President cited the Paris Agreement, and said his country would aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Under the Paris Agreement, all signatories are required to strive to formulate and communicate their long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies by 2020.

The announcement took most people by surprise, especially since the world's biggest contributor to GHG emissions has avoided making any long-term commitments in this direction, up until now.

Many other nations, including the European Union, have also made similar pledges to go carbon neutral by 2050. However, the US has so far not set such a goal even though it partnered with China to forge the Paris Agreement back in 2015.

Instead, President Donald Trump, who once describing climate change as a hoax invented by China, has started the process of pulling the US out of the climate deal.

What does carbon neutrality mean?

Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset.

CO2 emissions account for over 80 percent of global warming, with the rest coming mainly from the much more potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide.

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2019 warns that unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 percent each year between 2020 and 2030, the world will miss the opportunity to get on track towards the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.