China taking the lead in climate action with green energy, finance

Analyst says what matters is real action to cut emissions, rather than just pledges

- David Fogarty and Audrey Tan

In a world that seems more divided than ever in tackling global warming, climate leadership will increasingly be defined not by national climate change targets, but by what countries are doing to transform their economies to be clean and green, said a leading climate policy analyst.

And China could be seen as stepping up to the role, especially as climate issues move down the agenda of many Western countries.

Many nations, especially the US and in Europe, are suffering either a domestic political backlash against ambitious climate action or concerns over costs of living, said Mr Li Shuo, director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington.

What matters is real action on the ground to cut planet-warming emissions as soon as possible, rather than just pledges, he told The Straits Times' Green Pulse podcast.

"I think that will be an increasingly important aspect to define international climate leadership. And, in this regard, I think we need to recognise that China is actually doing quite a lot. It is really the powerhouse of the global clean technology transformation," he said.

A fractured geopolitical landscape is drawing away the political leadership needed to accelerate global efforts to hasten cuts to greenhouse gases heating up the planet.

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US, for a second time, from the United Nations' Paris climate agreement is the latest setback for global climate diplomacy. Trade disputes and tariffs on China's green technology goods have also damaged global cooperation, and so have bitter arguments over climate finance.

Yet China's great green march can help accelerate global climate action, Mr Li Shuo said.