Wind turbines stand atop mountains in Nanchuan District, Chongqing City, China, July 12, 2023. /CFP
China made July 12 National Low-carbon Day in 2013 to promote a societal shift toward green, low-carbon and sustainable production and lifestyle.
According to the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), China has achieved significant progress in addressing climate change and has established a policy system for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality over the past decade.
Carbon emissions drop
In terms of carbon emissions, China has witnessed a 36.7 percent decrease in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP compared to 2012, the NCSC said.
Additionally, non-fossil energy consumption has reached 17.5 percent, reflecting a 7.8 percent increase from 2012. This positive trend is accompanied by an increase in forest coverage and a reduction in carbon emission intensity.
The national forest coverage rate currently stands at 24.02 percent, exceeding the 2025 target, with a forest stock volume of 19.493 billion cubic meters.
Xu Huaqing, director of the NCSC, said China has implemented various plans over the past decade to reduce carbon emissions.
These plans have been largely successful in guiding sectors such as energy, industry, urban and suburban construction, transportation and agriculture in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Technicians inspect and maintain the photovoltaic equipment at a photovoltaic power generation base in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, China, July 12, 2023. /CFP
Tech breakthroughs in renewable energy
Renewable energy in China, including wind power, photovoltaics and hydropower, has experienced rapid growth in recent years.
As of April this year, the total installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation in China has exceeded 800 million kilowatts, accounting for 30.9 percent of the country's total installed power generation capacity.
Parallel to the development of clean energy, energy storage technology has also made significant progress.
In 2022 alone, China approved 48 new pumped storage projects, equivalent to the total number of projects approved during the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).
There have also been major technological breakthroughs in battery energy storage, which will store and release electric energy at a lower cost and higher efficiency.
Xu highlighted the advancements in energy storage technology, particularly lithium batteries, whose energy density has doubled compared to a decade ago.
Storage power density has increased by 50 percent, and the service life of batteries has also significantly improved, he said.