News
At the end of the first week, COP27 was all about decarbonization. Speaking with Bernhard Pötter, the two experts, Jan Steckel and Michael Jakob, explain how and when the inevitable coal phase-out will happen – and where it is currently being delayed.
By Bernhard Pötter
China's President Xi Jinping is about to serve a third term as head of state. Under him, climate policy became important in the country with the highest carbon emissions. Emissions have been curbed and renewables greatly expanded. But experts doubt that the green transformation will happen faster in the future. Both growth pressure and the coal lobby are too strong, and internal and international crises are too dominant.
By Nico Beckert
When China's President Xi Jinping announced a halt to the construction of new coal projects abroad at the UN General Assembly in September 2021, the global community breathed a sigh of relief. A year later, the loopholes in the promise are becoming apparent: even today, new coal-fired power plants are still being built with Chinese support. Nevertheless, the announcement remains a positive signal for climate policy. And China wants to invest more in renewables abroad in the future.
By Nico Beckert
Officially, China is pursuing extensive plans to phase out coal, oil and gas. On closer inspection, however, these plans seem less than ambitious. In addition, the temptation to solve acute problems by reverting to greater use of fossil fuels is great.
By Redaktion Table