Questioning China's Endorsement of Net Zero Emissions
1 Yet China’s latest five year plan increases investment in coal and omits any cap on total energy consumption. This leads to the observation that ‘the central contradiction between expanding the smokestack economy and promoting green growth appears unresolved.’ The lack of a cap on total energy consumption was a notable exclusion. 2 âDespite pledges to cut emissions, China goes on a coal spree,â a Yale Environment 360 headline proclaimed. In the article, China based freelancer Michael Standaert argues that there is a ‘real and figurative haze about how strong its climate...