China is set to power 50% of its economy with clean energy by 2030

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Friday that China aimed to power half of its economy with clean energy by the end of the decade, as the world’s largest carbon polluter seeks to supercharge its low-carbon growth.<br><br>Li, who took office in March, made the comments as part of a broader five-year plan that covers everything from overhauling the vast state sector to making the country’s agriculture more high-tech. China was “making progress with its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals,” he told the opening of the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress.<br><br>The communiqué from the meeting did not provide any new detail on how the country planned to reach its goal of peaking its carbon emissions before 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2060.<br><br>Li set out the targets as climate change is becoming increasingly urgent in China. 2023 was its hottest year on record, with average temperatures almost 1°C higher than usual. China last year announced new steps to accelerate its transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, as it seeks to meet carbon neutrality targets and tackle air and water pollution. The measures aim to tackle weak spots in a new energy system that still relies on coal, which generates more than 60% of China’s electricity.<br><br>They include scrapping a cap on new solar and wind farms as well as new nuclear power projects, and looking to increase its renewable power capacity by 150 gigawatts this year, which would be nearly triple the current global average.<br><br><br>**PS: Never take anything at face value from China.**