At a China-US summit last week, 12 Chinese cities pledged to peak their carbon emissions earlier than China’s national target of 2030, bringing the total number of Chinese cities committed to meeting or exceeding the national target to 23.
In 2015 11 Chinese cities and provinces formed the Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities (APPC). Its members are all committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions earlier than China’s national goal of 2030. 12 new cities joined the alliance last week at the second China-US Climate Smart/Low Carbon Cities Summit in Beijing.
According to a statement from the World Resources Institute, these 23 Chinese cities and provinces represent 17 per cent of China’s population, 28 per cent of its national GDP and 16 per cent of its national carbon dioxide emissions. Eight of these cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou, have agreed to peak their emissions by 2020.
Also at last week’s summit, APPC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Compact of Mayors to strengthen cooperation in combating climate change and promoting low-carbon development. “We know that greater collaboration between all levels of government is how we will meet the aggressive goals that were laid out in Paris,” explained Boston mayor Marty Walsh on behalf of the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing resilience to climate change.
His enthusiasm was shared with Zhu Xiaoming, mayor Zhenjiang, who spoke on behalf of APPC when he said that the MOU will support China’s cities “as they explore the best approaches for green and low-carbon development”.
Image credit: Lei Han, flickr/Creative Commons
