China creates vast research infrastructure to support ambitious climate goals

Carbon-neutrality institutes, and other initiatives to support a pledge to achieve net zero by 2060, are popping up like mushrooms across China.

The promise is in 2060 Zero emissions in , China's carbon neutrality research institutions and other corresponding support measures are everywhere like mushrooms .

China, the world’s top carbon emitter, has for the first time published plans broadly outlining how it might achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, and a peak of emissions before 2030 — promises it made in 2019.

China's carbon emissions rank first in the world , For the first time, a general draft of how the plan will be in 2060 Achieve zero emissions in , And in 2019 Year commitment to 2030 Peak emissions in .

Researchers say the documents, released ahead of the COP26 climate talks that concluded on 15 November, send a strong message to industry, government agencies and universities in China to ramp up their efforts to help the country meet its climate goals.

Researchers say , Published in 11 month 15 The... At the end of the 26 This document before the UN Climate Change Conference , For factories that China has stepped up its efforts to help the country achieve its climate goals 、 Government agencies and universities send a powerful message .

Already this year, more than ten prominent universities and institutions have set up carbon-neutrality-research institutes; the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a centre last month.

Long before this year , More than ten famous universities and institutions have established carbon neutralization Laboratories , Just last month , The Chinese Academy of Sciences has also launched a related research center .

“We start right now,” says Jiang Kejun, a modeller at the Energy Research Institute in Beijing.

Jiang Kejun, a modeler at an energy research institute in Beijing, said ,“ Let's start ”.

The country is experiencing a “national movement”, says Wu Libo, an environmental economist at Fudan University in Shanghai, as companies, regional governments and academia shift gears.

With the company 、 Local governments and colleges change direction , The country is going through “ The national movement ”, Wu Libo, an environmental economist at Fudan University in Shanghai, said .

Wu is also director of the Shanghai Research Institute for Energy and Carbon Neutrality Strategy, a collaboration launched earlier this month by the university and the Shanghai city government.

Wu is also the dean of Shanghai energy and carbon neutralization Strategy Research Institute, which was launched by Fudan University and the municipal government this month .

Once it secures funding for research grants, the institute will focus on the deregulation of the electricity market and climate finance, she says.

Once approved, stable research funds are obtained , The agency will focus on removing financial controls on the electricity market and climate , She said .

Significant challenge

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 “is a big challenge for China”, says Xie Xiaomin, an energy-policy researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).

Xie Xiaomin, an energy policy researcher at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said , stay 2060 Achieving carbon neutrality years ago is a huge challenge for China .

She is vice-director of the university’s Research Institute of Carbon Neutrality, which was established in May and has already received about 20 million yuan (US$3.1 million) in funding to work on a broad range of energy technologies, she says.

She is the vice president of the carbon neutrality Research Institute of the University , Since its establishment in May, the agency has received about 2000 Million dollars for extensive energy technology work , She said .

From emitting more than 11 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020, China has to drop to net zero within four decades. This is a scale and speed that no other country has attempted before, says Gang He, an energy-systems modeller at Stony Brook University in New York, who has studied China’s power system.

from 2020 Annual emissions exceed 11 Tons of carbon dioxide began to , China needs to 40 Reduced to... Within the year 0 discharge . He Guang, an energy system modeler who studies China's energy system at Stony Brook University in New York, said , This scale and speed has never been tried by other countries before .

China’s current emissions are more than double the United States’ and three times as big as those of India, which made a similar pledge to reach net zero by 2070 during COP26.

China's current emissions are more than twice that of the United States , Three times India's emissions , India, too COP26 Made similar commitments during , stay 2070 Zero emissions in .

“There will be a lot of areas needing contribution from researchers,” says Fu Sha, a modeller with the non-profit Energy Foundation China in Beijing.

There will be many areas that need the contribution of researchers , Fu Sha, a modeler at Beijing's non-profit national energy center, said .

These include low-carbon energy technologies, from hydrogen fuel cells to batteries; market-based mechanisms to control emissions, such as carbon taxes and trading schemes; and modelling that will help local governments and industries set realistic targets for cuts, she says.

These include low-carbon energy technologies , From hydrogen fuel to batteries ; Market based mechanisms to control emissions , Such as carbon tax and trading plan ; Modeling can help local governments and industries establish actual reduction targets , She said .

Researchers will also need to study which sections of China’s population will be most affected by the transition and learn how to help them cope, says He. Establishing the path to “a more just and inclusive transition would be a very important research topic”, he says.

Researchers also need to learn which part of the Chinese population will be most affected by this transition and how to help them deal with . establish “ A more equitable and inclusive transition path will be a very important research topic ” He said .

Solar, wind and hydro

But many research institutes have a long way to go in terms of aligning their research departments with the carbon-neutrality goals, says Jiang.

But many research institutions are still a long way from aligning their research departments with carbon neutrality goals , Jiang said .

They will need to drop traditional engineering subjects that focus, for example, on coal-fired boiler technology and internal combustion engines, notes Zhang Xiliang, a climate modeller at Tsinghua University in Beijing, which launched its own Institute for Carbon Neutrality in September.

They need to abandon the traditional engineering discipline , such as , Focus on coal-fired boiler technology and internal combustion engine , Zhang Xiliang pointed out , He is a climate modeler at Tsinghua University in Beijing , The university just set up its own carbon neutralization Research Institute in September .

The two highly anticipated policy documents the central government released in October — a working guidance and a 2030 action plan — outline a path for researchers and flesh out for the first time how China plans to achieve its carbon goals.

Two highly anticipated policy manuscripts issued by the central government in October , A job guide and a 2030 Guide to action , Show researchers the way , At the same time, it also vividly explains for the first time how China plans to achieve its carbon target .

The documents talk about “strengthening basic research and research on cutting-edge technologies” — such as nuclear fusion, smart grids and new materials — and the formulation of “an action plan to ensure science and technology better support” achieving carbon neutrality.

These manuscripts talk about “ Strengthen basic research and Research on cutting-edge technology ”, Like fusion 、 Smart grid and new materials , To develop “ A plan that actually ensures better support for science and Technology ” Achieving carbon neutrality .

Also detailed in the documents are commitments to increase the share of power China produces from renewable and nuclear sources from just 16% today to 80% by 2060.

The manuscript also promises in detail , To 2060 In, China's power capacity from renewable resources and nuclear energy increased from 16% Up to 80%.

Solar and wind capacity are planned to reach 1,200 gigawatts by 2030 — enough to power hundreds of millions of households — and 80 gigawatts of hydropower will be installed over the next decade.

Solar and wind power generation capacity is planned in 2030 reach 12000 Gigawatt , Enough to power hundreds of millions of homes , It will be installed in the next ten years 800 Gigawatts of hydropower .

Carbon capture and sequestration technologies will also be important to achieving China’s goals, according to the documents, and could be another focus for researchers. There is also a plan for electric and hybrid vehicles to make up 40% of those sold by 2030. Much more detail is expected to come in future documents, say researchers.

According to the document , Carbon capture and storage technology is also important for China to achieve its goals , It may also be another concern for researchers . There's another one in 2030 In, the sales of electric hybrid vehicles accounted for 40% The plan for . Researchers say , More details are expected to be disclosed in future documents .

Global ramifications

Despite this rush of activity towards net zero within China, some researchers are still disappointed with the commitments the country has made so far.

Although domestic activity in China quickly fell to net zero , Some researchers are still somewhat disappointed with China's current commitments .

At the COP26 meeting, the nation signed a joint declaration with the United States to find steeper cuts, but frustrated some scientists by not offering more-aggressive pledges for the next decade, and also for pushing for text concerning coal in the final agreement to be edited from ‘phased out’ to ‘phased down’.

stay COP26 The meeting ,“ Country ” Signed a joint statement with the United States looking for deeper cuts , But what frustrates some scientists is , They did not provide a more positive commitment for the next few decades , At the same time, promote the text on coal in the final agreement from “ Phase out ” To “ Phase out ”.

China’s promises so far are not likely to keep global warming to below 1.5 °C — the more aspirational of the targets set by world governments at the United Nations Paris climate meeting in 2015 — says Yan Qin, an economist and carbon analyst based in Oslo with Refinitiv, a company that provides data on financial markets. “What has been pledged falls short,” she says.

At present, China's commitment does not seem to be able to control the global warming target at 1.5℃ following ——2015 An ambitious goal set by the world government at the United Nations climate conference in Paris , The economy of a company that provides data in the financial market XXXXXXX say ,“ The promised content is still insufficient ”.（ Are you polite ？）

China has also not yet set any absolute limits on emissions, nor targets for emissions of other greenhouse gases besides carbon, such as methane, but has committed to doing both. Researchers say these measures will be crucial for the world to have a chance at limiting global warming to below 1.5 °C.

China has not yet set an absolute emission limit , There is also no target for methane and other greenhouse gases other than carbon emissions , But they all made promises . The researchers say these measures have an impact on whether the world has a chance to reduce global warming to 1.5℃ The following are important .（ Which researcher ？ Last name, first name ？ Where do you live ？）

China’s size means its pledges have global ramifications, says Pep Canadell, chief research scientist at the Australian government’s CSIRO Climate Science Centre in Canberra. “When China moves a little to the left or the right, up or down, the whole world feels it.”

China's size means that its commitments will have global consequences , silly XXX say . When China turns left or right , Move up or down a bit , The whole world can feel .

And He says that although China’s goals are not as ambitious as some would like, they are at least realistic. “What China should do is sometimes not what China can deliver,” he says.

He said that although China's goal is not as big as that of other countries , But at least it's practical . Sometimes what China should do is not what China can do ？？？？？？？？ What kind of brain damage article is this , Can also appear in nature On