What's China doing to fight climate change?
China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
This week a year’s worth of rain fell in just three days in China’s Henan province, flooding roads and public transport systems, killing dozens and displacing thousands. Floods are common in China’s rainy season, but this event is being linked to the climate crisis. China is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world – and many of its most carbon-intensive sectors employ vast numbers of people. At the same time the country has led efforts to develop green technologies like solar and wind, bringing down prices and encouraging the global shift away from fossil fuels. China says it shouldn’t be expected to follow the same decarbonisation timetable as major Western economies. But the US Climate Envoy John Kerry this week insisted that efforts to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will be "essentially impossible" without faster action from Beijing. So how crucial is China to the fight against climate change? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts.
Last on
More episodes
Contributors
Junjie Zhang - Founder of the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University in China
Isabel Hilton - Journalist and founder of China Dialogue, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting a common understanding of China’s environmental and climate challenges
Jennifer Turner - Director of the China Environment Forum at the Wilson Center in Washington DC
Picture
Broadcasts
- Fri 23 Jul 2021 09:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service
- Fri 23 Jul 2021 23:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service
- Sat 24 Jul 2021 03:06GMT³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service
Featured in...
Climate change: How it is affecting lives and the fight for change—³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service special collections
The effects of climate change are destroying lives, environments and livelihoods
Extreme weather: A global record—³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service special collections
Floods and wildfires are increasing in both frequency and intensity. What lies ahead?
The Real Story Podcast
Subscribe via your favourite podcast app...
Podcast
-
The Real Story
Global experts and decision makers discuss, debate and analyse a key news story.