All eyes on China at UN climate meeting

China’s emissions-cutting pledge is poised to take centre stage at a UN climate meeting on Sept 24, after US President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering — if predictable - broadside against the science surrounding planet-warming fossil fuels.

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Some 18 nations will outline plans to curb global warming, which is driving disasters worldwide - from catastrophic floods in Pakistan to raging wildfires in Spain — even as many continue expanding oil and gas operations.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will open the gathering at the UN headquarters in New York.

His country - responsible for about 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, from its factories, power plants, vehicles and more - is expected to deliver a crucial update: its 2035 emissions-cutting target.

China has never committed to reducing carbon dioxide outright. Instead, it pledged to peak emissions before 2030 — a goal it appears set to meet five years early, thanks to rapid growth in solar energy and electric cars.

Most wealthy nations, historically the biggest contributors to global warming, peaked decades ago but still lack credible plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

“All eyes will be on China,” Mr Li Shuo, an expert at the Asia Society think-tank who is well connected in Beijing, told AFP.