Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday pledged to cut carbon emissions per unit of economic output by over 65% by 2030 and boost the share of nonfossil fuels in energy consumption to roughly 25% by then.
Why it matters: China is by far the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, and the announcement offers new specifics about the country’s existing climate targets. However, the pledge includes a slightly strengthened emissions intensity target, and some environmentalists’ immediate response to the overall package was lukewarm.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday implored world leaders to declare states of "climate emergency" until "carbon neutrality is reached," per Reuters.
What he's saying: Speaking at a virtual summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, Guterres criticized wealthy countries for spending 50% more of their pandemic recovery cash on fossil fuel production and consumption, as opposed to low-carbon energy.
