China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment has announced that it will send a delegation to the COP31 climate conference in November to promote international climate negotiations.
What happened
China, the world's worst polluter, will attend the conference to prioritize implementation and address issues such as insufficient emissions reductions and inadequate financial support from developed countries. Vice Minister of Ecology and the Environment Li Gao expressed China's support for the Paris climate agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Li called for progress on climate finance, including a roadmap for developed countries to deliver $300 billion in climate finance by 2035. He also advocated for the establishment of international mechanisms for a just transition to help developing countries address transition-related challenges.
Despite being the world's second-largest economy and a major consumer of fossil fuels, China considers itself a developing nation and will not be expected to pay for climate-themed wealth redistribution. China has made significant strides in green energy production, with its solar power capacity exceeding coal power capacity for the first time this year.
However, China's coal-fired power generation is still increasing, with consumption forecast to rise by over three percent this year. The country remains the world's largest consumer of coal and emitter of greenhouse gases, with air pollution causing approximately two million deaths annually.
