Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Sep. 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.

In a pre-recorded speech, Xi reportedly announced the plans of not building new coal-fired power projects abroad, and made commitments to "step up support" for the developing countries to adopt "green and low-carbon energy", Reuters reported.

China is the first developing country to make such a pledge and the last of world's major public financiers of overseas coal projects to do so, the director of Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center Kevin Gallagher said.

Aljazeera reported that China funded 13 per cent of coal projects outside of the country between 2013 and 2019.

CHINA DESERVES GREAT PRAISE FOR PLEDGING TO STOP BUILDING COAL PLANTS OVERSEAS – THE 1ST DEVELOPING COUNTRY TO MAKE SUCH A PLEDGE AND THE LAST OF THE MAJOR PUBLIC FINANCIERS OF OVERSEAS COAL TO DO SO.

NOW THAT THE WORLD’S MAJOR GOVERNMENTS HAVE LED BY EXAMPLE AND BANNED...

— Kevin P. Gallagher (@KevinPGallagher) September 21, 2021

China's announcement well-received

John Kerry, the Secretary of State for the U.S., reportedly referred to the announcement as a "great contribution" and a good beginning ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) that will commence on Oct. 31.

The president of the climate conference, Alok Sharma, took to Twitter to welcome Xi's "commitment to stop building new coal projects abroad", and expressed his wishes to make coal a thing of "history".

It is clear the writing is on the wall for coal power

I welcome 🇨🇳 President Xi’s commitment to stop building new coal projects abroad - a key topic of my discussions during my visit to China

At #COP26, we must consign coal to history
#UNGA https://t.co/eW4vKHcxUJ

— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) September 21, 2021

Climate group 350.org described Xi's announcement as a "huge" one and a potential "real game changer".

This is HUGE. 350 welcomes China's declaration to stop funding coal overseas. This could be a real game changer depending on when it comes into effect and which plants it covers.https://t.co/YtqRsPVzmQ

— 350 dot org (@350) September 21, 2021

Meanwhile, some experts have reportedly criticised China's climate pledges as being "not ambitious enough", despite the target of peaking carb0n dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality in 2060.

According to data from Our World in Data, coal remains the largest source of energy in China, making up over 57 per cent in 2019.

China currently tops the list of annual carbon dioxide emissions globally.

According to 2018 data, China's carbon dioxide emissions was more than the combined emissions of the next three top carbon emitting countries.

The U.S. intends to ramp up its commitment to global climate action

Prior to Xi's statement, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his intention to double the country's financial commitment to help developing countries "tackle the climate crisis", according to CNN.

Biden reportedly added that his new initiative will make the U.S. the leader in terms of public climate financing, though he will have to seek approval for the move from the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, according to data in 2018.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reportedly welcomed both countries' statements, and said that he was "encouraged" by the commitment of the world's two largest economies on climate initiatives.

According to CNN, experts have opined that unless Biden and Congress can "work together" to approve the budget bill, it will be "incredibly difficult" for the U.S. to achieve its emissions target.

The U.S. has reportedly pledged to cut its emissions to about 50 per cent to 52 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030, which would mean reducing emissions from 6,558 million tonnes (data for 2019) to about 3,000 million tonnes.

Follow and listen to our podcast here

Top image via CGTN/Youtube