China reports progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions

World Today

China reports progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions

China is taking steps to improve its air and water quality as well as fight climate change. As one of the nation’s pushing for tough measures in the Paris Climate Agreement adopted nearly a year ago, China recently outlined some specifics.

CCTV America’s Sean Callebs reports.

Its strength in manufacturing is helping China become an economic power. But at the same time, factories are belching out pollutants from coal. China’s carbon intensity decreased by 20 percent above its 17 percent goal and energy structure continues to be optimized.

Ahead of an important United Nations conference in Morocco on climate change, China detailed steps it has taken to improve the environment over the past five years. It is important because the burning of fossil fuels is widely blamed for the rise in global temperatures.

As part of the Paris Agreement scores of nations are working together to keep the earth’s temperature from rising more than two degrees centigrade.

Leaders in China said during the upcoming Conference of Parties in Marrakech, it’s important that member nations keep their word –and strictly adhere to the Paris Agreement, especially when it comes to aiding developing nations.

“It will urge countries to meet their commitments in tackling climate change before 2020 –especially the commitment of developed countries to provide $100 billion per year to developed countries,” Zhenhua Xie, China special representative on climate change said.

That funding is needed to help poorer nations grow while working within the framework of the Paris deal. The upcoming meeting comes at time, when a new study shows China has never had so much concern over the environment and potential health effects.

A 2015 report from the Ministry of Environmental Protection points out some real concerns – saying, out of nearly 5,000 underground water sites that are monitored and nearly half were considered relatively poor, and 16 percent were considered very poor.


Tyson Slocum on China’s climate change initiative

For more on China’s efforts to combat climate change, CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar spoke with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen Energy Program.