China’s Coal Pledge Could Have Canada-Sized Emissions Impact
- Xi promised to stop building coal-fired power plants overseas
- China has yet to clarify which projects are covered by pledge
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China’s pledge to stop building coal-fired power plants overseas could curb annual carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 646 million tons, according to a report from Boston University Global Development Policy Center.
That’s the same as Canada’s annual fossil CO2 emissions and equates to 119 gigawatts of generating capacity, the study said. That total is also the broadest interpretation of the announcement made by China’s President Xi Jinping at the United Nations in September. It includes both plants under construction and those being planned involving Chinese capital and contractors.