Climate Update

POLITIK

Ahead of Donald Trump’s second term as US president, a rerun of his first trade war with China is firmly on the cards – and minerals key to the energy transition may end up in the crossfire.

POLITIK

This year’s most important climate meeting just ended. What did it accomplish?

URSACHEN

China’s historical emissions within its borders have now caused more global warming than the 27 member states of the EU combined, according to new Carbon Brief analysis.

KLIMAGERECHTIGK. POLITIK

Delegates from poorer nations say classifications that date back to 1992 are obsolete and two countries ‘should be contributing’

URSACHEN

For many years, wealthy places like the United States and Europe have had the biggest historical responsibility for global warming and have been tasked with taking the lead in stopping it. China’s astonishing rise is upending that dynamic.

WIRTSCHAFT

Günstige chinesische Windturbinen drängen ins Ausland. Europäische Produzenten von Siemens bis Vestas, aber auch der Schweizer Zulieferer Gurit geraten unter Druck.

POLITIK

As the US steps back from Climate, will China take the lead?

POLITIK

Days ahead of the U.N.’s global negotiations on climate change, China and other developing countries said trade restrictions should be part of the talks.

POLITIK WIRTSCHAFT

The tariffs, some as high as 45 percent, are intended to protect Europe’s automotive sector, but they could escalate a trade war with China.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Kein Land der Welt produziert mehr Stahl als China. Wie Dekarbonisierung und Recycling dort vorankommen, erläutert Shen Xinyi von der internationalen Forschungs­organisation Crea. Teil 10 der Serie.

TECH. & ENERGIE

China’s Dongfang Electric Corp. has surprised the offshore wind industry with an announcement that it’s built a new turbine radically larger than anything previously available in the sector.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS. POLITIK

A transformed China, conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, and intractable clashes over money have pushed the prospects of progress to a new low.

POLITIK

Wenn China sich als klimapolitisch führend sieht, muss es auch so handeln, sagt Martin Voß, Klimadiplomatie-Experte der Organisation Germanwatch. Deutschland kann und sollte hier weiter an China appellieren und an sinnvollen Kooperationen arbeiten.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

An ambitious NDC would boost China’s economy, win it recognition as a responsible global power – and keep its people safer from climate disasters Yao Zhe is global policy advisor for Greenpeace East Asia.

KLIMAGERECHTIGK. POLITIK

Die UN-Klimakonvention verpflichtet bisher 24 Industriestaaten zur finanziellen Unterstützung der Entwicklungsländer in Höhe von aktuell 100 Milliarden US‑Dollar. Doch dieses Jahr soll ein neues Finanzziel verabschiedet werden, und damit stellt sich die Frage: Wer zahlt wie viel?

POLITIK

Experts believe the outcome of the race for the White House could determine how ambitious China’s climate efforts will be.

WIRTSCHAFT

China’s “new energy vehicles” (NEVs) have been the centre of media and geopolitical attention in recent months.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Some vegetables cost more than they have in five years. Top Chinese officials have made a point of showing that they’re doing something about it.

POLITIK

Dass China daran arbeitet, den individuellen CO2-Fußabdruck der Bürger:innen nachzuverfolgen, sieht der Shanghaier Umweltsoziologe Li Yifei kritisch. Der Staat müsse die Hauptrolle beim Klimaschutz spielen, brauche aber auch nichtstaatliche und internationale Expertise.

WIRTSCHAFT

China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are investing in low-carbon sources and helping push the country’s energy transition towards a “critical turning point” where coal power starts to decline, a new report finds.

WIRTSCHAFT

Der Staat gewährte Investoren massive Starthilfen, lässt dann aber weniger effiziente Unternehmen gnadenlos pleite gehen.

POLITIK

China’s Third Plenum, an important five-yearly meeting traditionally associated with major economic reforms, concluded on 18 July in Beijing.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

China versucht, der Kritik an seinen Auslands­investitionen durch Klima- und Sozialstandards zu begegnen, sagt Nora Sausmikat, China- und Banken-Expertin bei der Nichtregierungs­organisation Urgewald. Wie ernst das gemeint ist, müsse sich noch zeigen. Teil 7 der Serie.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Analysts are seeing promising signs from the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Clean energy generated a record-high 44% of China’s electricity in May 2024, pushing coal’s share down to a record low of 53%, despite continued growth in demand.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall, flooding and heatwaves, have been described as the “new normal” for China.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Plus de 240'000 personnes ont été évacuées dans l'est de la Chine après les fortes pluies qui se sont abattues sur une grande partie du pays, faisant gonfler le cours du fleuve Yangtze, a rapporté l'agence officielle Chine nouvelle.

POLITIK TECH. & ENERGIE

Global demand for renewable energy is surging so why make solar panels, wind turbines and EVs dearer for western consumers?

TECH. & ENERGIE

In the remote reaches of the Argentine Andes, amid the rugged expanse of the high-altitude Puna region, where bone-chilling winds and freezing temperatures reign, the town of Mina La Casualidad once thrived.

POLITIK

In der globalisierten Wirtschaft stehen alle Länder im Standortwettbewerb, sagt Politikwissenschaftlerin Lea Shih. Industriepolitik in China und der EU laufe dabei nicht so grundverschieden, wie es scheint. Teil 6 der Serie.

POLITIK WIRTSCHAFT

Bruxelles a annoncé mercredi jusqu'à 38% de hausse des droits de douane européens sur les importations de véhicules électriques chinois. L'UE estime que les constructeurs chinois, fortement subventionnés, "présentent une menace imminente pour l'industrie européenne".

URSACHEN WIRTSCHAFT

Die Autoproduzenten in China betreiben zu viele Fabriken. Besonders bei Verbrennern ist der Produktionsüberschuss gewaltig.

POLITIK WIRTSCHAFT

Beijing’s dominance raises economic and security concerns, and tensions will be high as top climate diplomats meet this week.

POLITIK

Wie China sein Erfassungs- und Bilanzierungssystem für Treibhausgas-Emissionen aufbaut, erläutert Janz Chiang, Klimapolitik-Analyst in Peking. Das Land erwartet, dass die EU künftig die chinesische Bilanzierung des CO2-Fußabdrucks ebenso wie Chinas Emissionshandelssystem anerkennt. Teil 4 der Serie.

URSACHEN

The country, along with India, is still building power stations that run on coal. Elsewhere, retirements of older plants have slowed.

TECH. & ENERGIE

In Brüssel und Washington geht die Angst vor einer China-Exportwelle um. Bei Solarmodulen und Batterien hat das Land riesige Überkapazitäten. Für kleinere Entwicklungsländer sind die billigen Produkte aber ein Segen – so wie fürs Klima.

POLITIK

China’s annual lianghui (两会) – also known as the “two sessions” – ended on 11 March, drawing the curtain on a key political event that saw limited climate targets set for 2024.

TECH. & ENERGIE WIRTSCHAFT

Beijing is set to further increase its manufacturing and installation of solar panels as it seeks to master global markets and wean itself from imports.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Biden needs to decide if he likes the climate more than he hates China.

POLITIK

The government aims to cut the amount of energy needed for its economic growth by 2.5% in 2024, putting it far off track for a key five-year climate target

RECHT

In China kann die Durchsetzung von Umweltgesetzen sehr effizient funktionieren, sagt Liu Mengxing vom Client-Earth-Büro in Peking. Die internationale Umweltrechts-Organisation arbeitet dort mit der Regierung und dem Oberstem Gericht zusammen. Teil 3 der Serie.

TECH. & ENERGIE

It happened very quickly, so fast that you might not have noticed it. Over the past few months, America’s Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, the oddly named company that owns Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep — landed in big trouble.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

China will den nationalen Emissionshandel stabiler machen und Betrug vorbeugen. Erstmals wird auch der Flugverkehr angehalten, sich auf Ausweitung auf den Sektor vorzubereiten. Doch Analysten üben weiter Kritik.

POLITIK

Wegen der EU- und US-Wahlen gibt es 2024 nur ein kurzes Zeitfenster für globale Klima-Fortschritte, sagt Li Shuo, Direktor des neuen "China Climate Hub" der Asia Society in Washington. Gleichzeitig müsse mehrere Jahre vorausgedacht werden. Teil 2 der Serie.

WIRTSCHAFT

Les énergies renouvelables ont été la locomotive de la croissance chinoise l’an dernier. Selon une récente étude, les industries liées aux énergies propres ont considérablement stimulé l’économie en 2023

WIRTSCHAFT

Clean energy contributed a record 11.4tn yuan ($1.6tn) to China’s economy in 2023, accounting for all of the growth in investment and a larger share of economic growth than any other sector.

TECH. & ENERGIE

The government will consider incentives to charge electric vehicles at off-peak hours and to let vehicles sell their electricity to the grid

TECH. & ENERGIE

Build Your Dreams outsells rival in final quarter of 2023 figures for battery-only vehicles

URSACHEN

As part of a series on how key emitters are responding to climate change, Carbon Brief looks at China, which leads the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and coal use – but also on the deployment and manufacture of low-carbon technologies.

URSACHEN

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and cement have increased by 1.1% in 2023, hitting a new record high of 36.8bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2), according to the 2023 Global Carbon Budget report by the Global Carbon Project.

URSACHEN

Skip to content Politics & Policy Is China Emitting a Climate Super Pollutant in Violation of an International Environmental Agreement? Concentrations of HFC-23, one of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases, remained elevated in East Asia after China, a known past polluter, agreed to curb emiss

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Earlier this month, China published its long-awaited plan to reduce methane emissions. The document is seen as an important step for China, which is the world’s largest emitter of methane.

EMPFOHLEN URSACHEN

By , lead analyst at Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) covering air quality and energy trends in China.

POLITIK

Die besten Nachrichten dieser Woche sind wieder einmal fast übersehen worden: Chinas CO₂-Emissionen werden voraussichtlich schon 2024 sinken. Und das ist nicht alles, wie Xi Jinpings Besuch in den USA zeigte.

URSACHEN

China’s carbon emissions could peak this year before falling into a structural decline for the first time from next year after a record surge in clean energy investments, according to research.

TECH. & ENERGIE

China is installing about as many solar panels and wind turbines as the rest of the world combined, and is on track to meet its target for clean energy six years early. It is using renewables to meet nearly all of the growth in its electricity needs.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

It’s time to redesign cities for climate change. From rising sea levels in Mumbai to unbearable heat in Houston, cities around the world are feeling the effects of climate change.

URSACHEN

Later this month, China will mark the 10th anniversary of the “belt and road initiative” (BRI), its global infrastructure project, at a major international conference in Beijing.

POLITIK

China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said today that a global fossil fuel phase-out is unrealistic, dampening hopes that such an aim could be agreed at the Cop28 climate talks.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Die Kubuqi-Wüste in der Inneren Mongolei: Sand und Dünen, so weit das Auge reicht. Ein scharfer Wind treibt die Sandkörner vor sich her. Plötzlich fängt es an zu dröhnen, der Boden zittert. Ein Bagger rammt eine Betonsäule in den Sand. Ratatata.

WIRTSCHAFT

In der europäischen Solarindustrie macht sich Panik breit. Der Markt werde von billigen chinesischen Importen geflutet, was europäische Anbieter in den Ruin treibe, heisst es in einer Stellungnahme, die diese Woche bei der EU-Kommission deponiert wurde.

URSACHEN

Die Wüste nördlich der Industriestadt Baotou in der Inneren Mongolei erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 150 mal 90 Kilometer – gelbbrauner Sand, so weit das Auge reicht.

URSACHEN

At a time when many of China’s exports are faltering and its consumers are spending less at home, the country is flooding the world with cars.

URSACHEN

China is approving new coal power projects at the equivalent of two plants every week, a rate energy watchdogs say is unsustainable if the country hopes to achieve its energy targets.

TECH. & ENERGIE

China, the world’s biggest renewable equipment manufacturer, will set up a recycling system for ageing wind turbines and solar panels as it tries to tackle the growing volumes of waste generated by the industry, the state planner said.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

Recent devastating floods in Beijing have put China’s drive to create “sponge cities” which can handle extreme rain to the test.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Floods have damaged corn and rice crops in China's key northern grain-producing belt, traders and analysts said, with more rain in the forecast as another typhoon approaches, threatening to add to global food inflation pressures.

URSACHEN

Aug 8 (Reuters) - China's coal imports remained at elevated levels in July after overseas purchases nearly doubled in the first half of 2023, as utilities continued to bring in cheaper supplies to meet peak summer power demand, data showed on Tuesday. The world's top coal consumer imported 39.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Als zweitgrösste Volkswirtschaft der Welt ist China der weltweit grösste Energieverbraucher und der grösste Emittent von Treibhausgasen. Aber China ist auch der grösste und am schnellsten wachsende Produzent erneuerbarer Energien weltweit.

TECH. & ENERGIE

China has an answer to the heat waves now affecting much of the Northern Hemisphere: burn more coal to maintain a stable electricity supply for air-conditioning.

TECH. & ENERGIE

China is shoring up its position as the world leader in renewable power and potentially outpacing its own ambitious energy targets, a report has found.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Wind and solar power are booming in China and may help limit global carbon emissions far faster than expected, according to a new study. Solar panel installations alone are growing at a pace that would increase global capacity by 85% by 2025.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Residents seek respite from the heat as temperatures above 40C (104F) have been recorded for a third consecutive day in Beijing for the first time

In 2015, China’s President Xi Jinping announced the fund during a state visit to the USA, months before unprecedented US-Chinese climate cooperation helped the world agree to the Paris agreement.

URSACHEN

Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) covering air quality and energy trends in China. Qi Qin, China analyst at CREA.

URSACHEN

Außer in China beschleunigt sich der Kohleausstieg. Das zeigen zwei neue Entwicklungen aus dieser Woche. Zum einen sieht der neueste Entwurf für Indiens Strompolitik nicht länger den Bau von neuen Kohlekraftwerken vor. In dem Land sind Kohlemeiler mit einer Kapazität von 234.

TECH. & ENERGIE

Can the World Make An Electric Car Battery Without China? It is one of the defining competitions of our age: The countries that can make batteries for electric cars will reap decades of economic and geopolitical advantages.

POLITIK

China and Brazil announced this Friday a new collaborative effort to eliminate deforestation and control illegal trade causing forest loss.

URSACHEN

A boom in China’s coal power generation is derailing global efforts to limit global heating to 1.5C, analysts have warned. Concerns were raised because Beijing rapidly accelerated plans for new coal power plants in the second half of last year in a bid to increase its energy security.

URSACHEN

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of food. In 2019, China’s giant food system produced 1.9bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent – around the same as the total annual emissions of Russia, the world’s fourth largest polluter.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

China’s weather agency warned regional authorities to prepare for more extreme weather this year after record-breaking temperatures and a lengthy drought played havoc with the country’s power supplies and disrupted harvests last summer.

EMPFOHLEN MILDERUNG & ANPASS. POLITIK

Last year was shaped by events that barely anyone predicted – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, horrendous floods in Pakistan and a hard-fought breakthrough on finance for victims of climate disaster.

At this month’s UN climate summit, rich countries agreed to set up a dedicated fund to address the loss and damage caused by climate disasters, after years of blocking. This was a big breakthrough, but it came with a catch: they want to expand the donor pool.

POLITIK

Beim Klimagipfel in Sharm al-Sheikh kann sich China vor Verbündeten ausnahmsweise kaum retten. Klimaschützer applaudieren, denn China stellt sich mit aller Kraft auf die Seite der Entwicklungsländer.

URSACHEN

Mehr als 150 Millionen Menschen leben in niedrig gelegenen chinesischen Küstenregionen. Überschwemmungen aufgrund des Meeresspiegelanstiegs würden weit mehr Kosten verursachen als in anderen Ländern.

URSACHEN

China is poised to take advantage of the global urgency to tackle climate change. It is the world’s dominant manufacturer and user of solar panels and wind turbines. It leads the world in producing energy from hydroelectric dams and is building more nuclear power plants than any other country.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

China’s catastrophic summer shows its climate adaptation plans still have a long way to go. China just finished one of its most disastrous summers on record, with record-breaking heat, drought, and wildfires leading to water shortages even into the fall.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

China erlebte im August die schlimmste Hitzewelle seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen im Jahr 1961, dazu kam eine aussergewöhnliche Trockenheit. Immer wieder stiegen die Temperaturen auf über 40 Grad. Selbst der mächtige Fluss Jangtse war deutlich geschrumpft.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

China has suffered its most intense and sustained heatwave on record this summer, causing wildfires, power outages and crop failures. The heatwave across much of northwest, central and southeast China has lasted 72 days and counting. The previous record set in 2013 was 62 days.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Cela fait plusieurs mois déjà que les problèmes d’alimentation en électricité perturbent l’économie chinoise: en juin et septembre de l’année dernière, les coupures avaient particulièrement affecté le Guangdong, la province la plus riche de Chine, notamment en raison, déjà, de la c

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Kein Wasser im Poyang-See: Durch den größten Süßwassersee Chinas fließt normalerweise ein Jangtse-Nebenfluss. (Foto: Humphery/​Shutterstock) Die gesamte Nordhalbkugel der Erde leidet derzeit unter Dürre. Nicht nur in Europa, auch in den USA und China bleibt der Regen aus.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

China is scrambling to alleviate power shortages and bring more water to the drought-hit basin of the Yangtze river as it battles a record-breaking heatwave by seeding clouds, deploying relief funds and developing new sources of supply.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Die Hitzewelle in China bringt selbst US-Unternehmer Elon Musk ins Schwitzen. Im Onlinedienst Weibo erregte ein Brief der Shanghaier Behörden an die Kollegen in der Provinz Sichuan Aufsehen.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Millions of residents in China's south-western Sichuan province have been hit with rolling power cuts amid a severe heatwave and drought. In the city of Dazhou, home to some 5.4 million people, blackouts are lasting up to three hours, local media report.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

La tradition chinoise est riche d’enseignements: chaque année, après le solstice d’été vient la période la plus chaude de l’année, aussi appelée sanfutian et qui apparaît déjà dans le Livre des mutations.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Des vagues de chaleur extrêmes, parfois mortelles, ont touché différents endroits de la planète ces derniers mois, comme l'Europe occidentale en juillet et l'Inde en mars-avril.

TECH. & ENERGIE

A judge in Beijing quashed a bitcoin contract on the basis it was not in the public interest, citing incompatibility with China’s carbon neutrality goal A Chinese court has quashed a cryptocurrency mining contract on the grounds that the emissions it generates accelerate climate change.

TECH. & ENERGIE

A major push to install rooftop solar panels on Chinese buildings is putting the nation on track for another record-setting year on renewable energy.

MILDERUNG & ANPASS.

China released its 14th five-year plan (FYP) for renewable energy on 1 June, outlining the country’s renewable energy roadmap for the five years 2021-2025. This is the first sub-sector plan issued since the 14FYP for a modern energy system, published earlier this year.

AUSWIRKUNGEN

Parts of the east and south withered under extreme temperatures, even as health workers in hazmat suits persisted in a round of mandatory coronavirus tests.