中國因能源危機重新思考氣候目標之路

Recently Yahoo New on-line reported the following:

China Rethinks Path to Climate Goals Due to Energy Crisis

Bloomberg News

Tue., October 12, 2021, 12:20 a.m.

(Bloomberg) -- China’s widening power crisis, which has forced rationing across the country and threatens to derail economic growth, is prompting policy makers to rethink the pace of the nation’s energy transition.

China’s path to a greener economy needs to be underpinned by a stable supply of energy, Premier Li Keqiang said in a release on Monday following a meeting of the National Energy Commission last week. Before establishing a timetable for peaking carbon emissions by the end of the decade, the country needs to conduct an in-depth assessment of how it has handled the recent power crunch, he said.

The comments, just weeks before crucial climate negotiations open in Glasgow, Scotland, could be contentious given the need to accelerate efforts to mitigate global warming. Without additional commitments from China -- which the U.S. and U.K. have long been calling for -- the conference known as COP26 is unlikely to be a success.

There had been an expectation among some of those helping to draft the plan for China’s energy transition that the 2030 road map could be publicly released before the week-long National Day holidays that began Oct. 1, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

In a statement that highlighted the need to continue building up the nation’s capacity in fossil fuels, from coal to oil and shale gas, Li said that China needs to prioritize its economic development, which “holds the key to solving all its problems.”

Energy Security

“Energy security should be the premise on which a modern energy system is built, and the capacity for energy self-supply should be enhanced,” he said. That means the twin goals of peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 should be achieved in a “sound and well-paced” manner that will require “long and hard” effort, according to Li.

In a separate speech on Tuesday, China’s President Xi Jinping said the country still intends to set out more precise details on how it will peak carbon emissions in key areas, without giving a timetable for the release.

Xi said last month that China plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants in other nations, though the U.S. and others are continuing to urge China to move faster to reduce its own reliance on the fossil fuel.

Underscoring the urgency of the situation in China, thermal coal futures surged to a record for a second day on Tuesday as another key mining region suffered flooding, complicating efforts to boost supply and halt the escalating energy crisis.

Premier Li also called for an end to the “indiscriminate approach” taken by some Chinese regions to limiting electricity supplies and coal output, as well as “campaign-style” efforts to cut carbon emissions.

Instead, the government will work to “keep homes in the north warm and safe this winter, and ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains and sustained, steady economic development,” according to the statement.

Translation

（彭博社）——中國不斷擴大的電力危機迫使全國實行配給並有可能破壞經濟增長，這促使政策制定者重新考慮國家能源轉型的步伐。

上周國家能源委員會召開會議後，國務院總理李克強在周一發布的一份新聞稿中表示，中國走向綠色經濟能源供應道路需要穩定的供應。他說，在製定在 2010 年代末達到碳排放峰值的時間表之前，該國需要對其處理近期電力緊縮的方式進行深入評估。

鑑於有需要加快減緩全球變暖的努力，在蘇格蘭格拉斯哥開幕前幾周的關鍵的氣候談判, 中國去發表這些評論, 可能引起爭議。如果沒有來自中國的額外承諾 - 美國和英國長期以來一直呼籲舉行的 - 被稱為 COP26 的會議不太可能取得成功。

據知情人士透露，一些幫助起草中國能源轉型計劃的人曾期望，2030 年路線圖可以在 10 月 1 日開始的為期一周的國慶假期前公開發布。由於信息不公開，因此要求不透露身份。

李克強在一份聲明中強調，需要繼續建設從煤炭到石油和頁岩氣等化石燃料的國家能力，中國需要優先發展經濟，這是“解決所有問題的關鍵”。

能源安全

李克強說,“能源安全要成為現代能源體系建設的前提，要提高能源自給能力”。 李又說這意味著到 2030 年達到排放峰值和到 2060 年實現碳中和這兩個目標應該以“穩健且節奏良好”的方式實現，這需要“長期而艱苦”的努力。

在周二的另一場講話中，中國國家主席習近平表示，中國仍打算就如何在關鍵領域實現碳排放達到峰值提出更準確的細節，但沒有給出發佈時間表。

習近平上個月表示，中國計劃停止在其他國家建設新的燃煤電廠，儘管美國和其他國家繼續敦促中國加快行動，減少它對化石燃料的依賴。

這突顯出中國局勢的緊迫性是, 動力煤的期貨週二連續第二天飆升至紀錄高位。亦由於另一個主要礦區遭受洪水災害，推動供應和遏制不斷升級的能源危機的努力變得複雜。

李總理還呼籲中國一些地區停止"不分青紅皂白的做法"，以限制電力供應和煤炭產量,並停止"運動式"的減少碳排放的努力。

聲明說, 相反地，政府將努力“在這個冬天讓北方的家園保持溫暖和安全，確保產業鍊和供應鏈的穩定和經濟持續穩定發展”。

       So, to make a pledge to reduce CO2 emission is something that needs careful calculation. I am interested in knowing how China will deal with the energy issue.