China keen to meet carbon goals five years early, former US energy chief says
Steven Chu, who served in Barack Obama's first term, says Beijing wants to reach emissions cap and renewable targets by 2025
China intends to achieve its carbon reduction and renewable energy targets five years ahead of schedule, former US energy secretary Steven Chu said, as Beijing readies for climate talks in Paris.
Speaking on Tuesday before a speech on clean energy at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chu said China's commitment to cap emissions, limit the use of fossil fuels and increase the share of renewable energy as its primary sources of consumption to about 20 per cent by 2030 - a goal set by President Xi Jinping during his meeting with his American counterpart last November - was "surprising and aggressive".
Beijing wanted to reach the goal ahead of the schedule, he said. Beijing will offer to reduce emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60-65 per cent from 2005 levels by around 2030 in the package it will take to the United Nations conference in December.
"When I talked to people [from China] privately, they say we want to really do this by 2025," Chu said. "I think they are sincere and they really want to do this," he added, although he declined to specify whether he was referring to Chinese officials.
To meet that reduction, China needed better coordination and implementation of its policies at home, Chu said.
