If China were to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality before 2060, it would lower global warming projections by around 0.2 to 0.3 degrees Celsius, the biggest single reduction ever estimated by Climate Action Tracker (CAT).

The pledge, made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly last week, "is a true milestone in international climate policy," according to CAT, a Berlin-based non-profit climate science and policy institute. 

Given full implementation of the Paris Agreement pledges and targets, the CAT earlier estimated a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100. 

The Chinese announcement would lower the warming to around 2.4 to 2.5 degrees Celsius, closer to the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit of the Paris Agreement, the CAT said. 

"This is the most important announcement on global climate policy in at least the last five years," said Niklas Hohne of NewClimate Institute, one of the CAT's two partner organizations. 

Xi's announcement was "welcomed by many international climate policy observers," Hohne said. 

"China's critically important announcement comes at a time when the EU is also ramping up its climate action, aiming for a more ambitious 2030 target, and climate neutrality by 2050," said Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week the EU would raise its ambition by cutting greenhouse gases by 55 percent until 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The current target is a 40-percent reduction. 

"If China and the EU – which together account for 33 percent of global GHG emissions – were both to officially submit these new steps to the Paris Agreement, this would create the much-needed positive momentum the world – and the climate – needs," Hare said. 

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: An aerial view of forest in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. /VCG)