Achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality requires a broad and profound economic and social systemic transformation.
From July 17th to 18th, the National Conference on Ecological Environment Protection was held in Beijing. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to actively and steadily advance peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. He stressed the principles of nationwide coordination, priority to conservation, dual-wheel drive, internal and external connectivity, and risk prevention. He called for the effective implementation of the "1+N" policy framework for peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, the construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system, and the accelerated development of a new electricity system, enhancing national oil and gas security.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made it clear that achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality is a broad and profound economic and social systemic transformation. This scientific proposition embodies China's unique ecological view, elevating our carbon peak and carbon neutrality strategy to a global level, becoming a significant part of Xi Jinping's thought on ecological civilization. Achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality is a major strategic decision made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, addressing prominent resource and environmental constraints and realizing the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. It represents a solemn commitment to building a community of shared future for mankind. A comprehensive and accurate understanding of the systemic changes brought about by carbon peak and carbon neutrality will help build a consensus on carbon issues, and then leverage our energy resource endowment, insist on progressing step by step, and implement carbon peak actions in a planned and phased manner, ultimately achieving carbon neutrality.
Carbon emissions have become the most crucial constraint on human civilization's progress.
In the process of human development, changes in productive tools serve as the driving force. Particularly after the first industrial revolution, the steam engine, internal combustion engine, and electric motor significantly improved production efficiency. As different countries possessed different natural resource endowments, fierce competition, and even wars, erupted over resource and energy control. Meanwhile, with the increasing consumption of fossil fuels per unit of time, carbon emissions reached new heights, greenhouse gases surged, and the greenhouse effect became more apparent, leading to a rise in extreme weather events. Human society entered into a vicious cycle of rapid development, increased carbon emissions, rapid warming, and more disasters. This formed an "efficiency paradox."
After a significant increase in production efficiency, the balance between the carbon fixation and oxygen release from photosynthesis in plants that formed over millions of years and the carbon emissions caused by human energy consumption was disrupted. Scientific data shows that before the industrial revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere was around 280 ppm (parts per million). Starting from 1958, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere began to rise from 310 ppm. The concentration has now exceeded 400 ppm, as measured by various monitoring stations of the World Meteorological Organization. Since 1958, the Earth's average annual temperature has increased by 2-3℃, sea levels have risen by about 1 meter, and wildfires and extreme weather events have increased significantly.
For the highest interests of human survival, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, achieving peak carbon emissions as soon as possible, striving for carbon neutrality, and controlling global warming have become a consensus of the international community. International agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement have made binding regulations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the substitution of low-cost clean energy for traditional fossil fuels is a lengthy process. Currently, carbon emissions continue to rise, and the turning point for peak carbon emissions is yet to be seen, making the greenhouse effect more pronounced. Consequently, total carbon emissions have become the most crucial constraint on human civilization's progress.
Low-carbon development marks a new stage of Chinese-style modernization.
Human modernization is an ongoing development process with different significant characteristics in different periods, such as mechanization, industrialization, digitization, intelligence, urbanization, and low-carbonization. Through more than 70 years of efforts, China has transformed from a backward agricultural country into the world's only nation with all categories of industries listed in the United Nations industrial classification, with a complete and independent modern industrial system. It has built a complete set of modern industries with a large scale, ranking first in the world's industrial economies. China's rapid economic development and social stability have created miracles. As Chinese-style modernization enters a new stage of high-quality development, building a beautiful China has been placed at a prominent position in building a powerful nation and national rejuvenation.
On September 22, 2020, President Xi Jinping announced at the 75th UN General Assembly that China would enhance its independent contribution, adopt more forceful policies and measures, and strive to reach the peak of carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. China has thus entered a new stage of low-carbon development, making low-carbonization and zero-carbon emissions a new symbol of Chinese-style modernization and high-quality development.
Accurately grasp the multiple objectives of carbon strategy and systemic change.
At the National Conference on Ecological Environment Protection, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to handle the relationship between the "dual carbon" commitment and autonomous actions. The "dual carbon" targets we have set are resolute and unshakable. However, the path, methods, pace, and strength to achieve these goals should and must be decided by ourselves, not influenced by others. To achieve this, it is essential to accurately grasp the multiple objectives of the systemic change brought about by the carbon strategy.
The objectives of the transformation are systematic. Human carbon emissions involve the whole life cycle of each individual's activities, covering all aspects of life and production. The strategy of peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality involves reducing overcapacity in high-carbon industries, upgrading traditional industries, promoting new industrialization, popularizing green lifestyles, and will inevitably lead to adjustments in interests, social restructuring, and government reforms, changing existing ways of life and production, and having a broad and profound impact on the economy and society.
The objectives of the transformation are urgent. Peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality are closely related; the former lays the foundation for the latter. The timing and peak value of carbon emissions directly influence the duration and difficulty of achieving carbon neutrality. Therefore, the timing of reaching the peak and the high point are vital. The carbon interval period is set at 30 years in China. One reason is that China takes proactive action, and the other reason is the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.
The objectives of the transformation are long-term. Carbon emissions impact the survival and development rights of nations. Traditional industrialization inevitably leads to a rapid increase in carbon emissions, resulting in continuous disputes within the international community over per capita carbon emissions, cumulative carbon emissions, total carbon emissions, and other carbon control targets. Therefore, it is necessary to handle the relationship between high-quality development and high-level protection, strive to achieve early peak carbon emissions, and reduce stockpiles to achieve carbon neutrality, ultimately seeking a path to solve the "efficiency paradox."
The objectives of the transformation are technological. The immediate task of achieving peak carbon emissions is to reduce increments, requiring increased technological content in traditional industries, adjusting energy structures, reducing fossil fuel consumption, and increasing the proportion of renewable energy. Solar photovoltaic power is the most ideal new energy source. Data shows that the cost of photovoltaic power generation in China has dropped to below 0.3 yuan/kWh. China's photovoltaic manufacturing capacity leads the world with a complete industry chain. In terms of new energy storage that accompanies green energy, the installed capacity is growing rapidly, and the development trend is diverse.
The objectives of the transformation are ecological. The fundamental aspect of carbon neutrality is to enhance the carbon sequestration capacity of ecosystems. With the maturity and cost reduction of digital technology, plant factories have emerged where water, air, fertilizers, temperature, and light are all precisely controlled. Plant factories use digital technology and remote terminals to achieve high-precision environmental control, promote efficient agricultural systems for continuous crop production, and automatically control environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide concentration, and nutrient solutions to allow plants to grow and develop regardless of natural conditions. This technology leads to rapid ecological carbon fixation, significantly improving the efficiency of carbon sequestration. China's plant factory technology is mature and reliable, and it has conducted space cultivation experiments for rice's full life cycle, "from seed to seed," for the first time internationally.
To summarize, the 17 July to18 July news highlights China's commitment and efforts towards achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. The article emphasizes the systemic changes required for this transformation and the multi-faceted objectives involved, as well as China's unique approach to modernization with low-carbon development as a new hallmark. It also discusses the significance of technological advancements and ecological approaches in realizing these goals.