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According to the experts, China’s climate goals show commitment, while the US, a top historical emitter, backtracks
China announced new targets at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit. Image/News18
Amid geopolitical turmoil, China announced new targets at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit to cut economy-wide emissions by 7-10% from peak levels by 2035. While policy experts welcomed its renewed commitment to fight the climate crisis—especially as the US, the largest historical emitter, backtracks—many say the pledge lacks the urgency and ambition needed to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement.
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For the first time, China set absolute emission-reduction targets—just days before the UN deadline to submit a second round of updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are revised every five years. It also pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to over 30% by 2035, while increasing the installed capacity of solar and wind by six times compared to 2020, reaching 3600 GW total in 2035.
“China’s unveiling of its NDC signals commitment to the multilateral climate regime and a desire to keep advancing the ambition of shared climate goals,” remarked Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager (Climate Change) at the New Delhi-based Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), but added that the targets could have been much more ambitious. “It is a missed opportunity to show real climate leadership. That said, China’s real-world investments in low-carbon technologies—domestically and globally—will have a significant positive impact on global emissions. As a dominant electro-state, its actions will shape the energy landscape for decades, especially as the US retreats further into fossil fuel entrenchment.”
‘Chinese ambition and leadership’
RR Rashmi, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, expressed measured optimism, highlighting that China’s NDC indicates enhancement of their current goals and a significant change in their strategy. “It gives two signals. One, they will reach the peak of their emission before 2035, and possibly by 2030. Two, China will begin to reduce its emissions in absolute terms, unlike other developing countries. Therefore, their new NDC is a significant showcase of their ambition in a world where climate leadership is lacking. At 7-10% of reduction in absolute terms, they will contribute more to global reduction than even the EU or US,” he added.
The UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit closed late on Wednesday with several new climate commitments from over 100 countries, including China, Mongolia, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Pakistan, and Liberia, setting emission targets through 2035. The Summit is also an important milestone as the UN prepares its NDC Synthesis Report next month, which will assess the collective impact of new pledges before the upcoming COP30.
Taking the lead on clean energy
On the transition to clean energy, experts said China’s pledge ensures the world’s biggest emitter will continue to install solar and wind on a mega scale. “It has explicitly named solar, wind, and EVs at the heart of its NDC. China has been leading the world in solar and wind, and these are already successfully meeting most of the country’s growth in energy demand. Now solar and wind can help bring it to the next phase—to begin cutting emissions. Solar and wind are not a scam; they are the real deal,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s Chief Analyst.
However, the 2035 targets are still far short of what’s required to keep the rising global temperatures below 2℃ above pre-industrial levels and meet the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“We cannot sugarcoat it. These new climate plans do not put us anywhere near on track for a safer future. Countries’ last round of NDCs put the world on track for up to 2.8℃ warming, already exposing billions to more frequent and intense heatwaves, wildfires, storms, and floods. By 2035, the world needs to cut 31.2 gigatons of emissions to stay on track for 1.5℃, or 20.2 Gt for 2℃. The NDC and announcements so far would reduce that by just 2 gigatons—only 6% of what’s needed for 1.5℃ and 10% for 2℃,” said Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The stakes are high as the world edges closer to breaching the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to below 2℃. With COP30 on the horizon, attention now turns to other key emitters, including India, which are yet to submit their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
“India is likely to continue to express its targets in emissions intensity reduction terms, unlike China, which will peak soon. India is still in the growing phase of emissions and hence cannot undertake absolute reductions. But one can reasonably expect that the new NDC of India will have higher targets than in the past because of its positive and substantial progress on the current goals and also because of the ratcheting mechanism of the Paris Agreement,” added RR Rashmi, Distinguished Fellow, TERI.
About the Author
Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo…Read More
Srishti Choudhary, Senior Assistant Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground repo… Read More
September 25, 2025, 20:23 IST
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