How does China Contribute to Climate Change

By: Larissa Chalouhi, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

China contributes to 15% of all total climate change throughout the entire world. The biggest contributor to climate change is carbon dioxide greenhouse gasses and pollution. China’s emissions tripled over the last three decades, President Xi Jinping publicly stated that he needs to lead his country into finding a more sustainable solution to ‘build a community with a shared future’. 

Regardless of President Xi Jinping’s statements, China is still reliant on coal for the majority of its power. There are currently 1,082 operating coal power plants still in use. China contributes to around 11,535.20 total emissions with the United States of America behind China which currently has a total of 5,107.26 emissions which is exactly 13.34% out of the world. India has third place in contributing to massive amounts of carbon dioxide with 2,597.36 total emissions and 6.83% out of the world total. 

Despite China’s major commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, They continue to burn more coal than any other country in the world. 

The reason why coal threatens the environment is because it releases multiple toxic greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and carbon dioxide not only threatens the environment but also human life.

In 2020, China increased the use of coal by 9%, which is reaching further away from their goal of a net-zero emission goal. Fortune.com says ‘According to Ember, China was the only G20 nation to increase coal-generation last year’. Specifically in Shanghai because it is overpopulated with 26 million people currently living there. 

The environment has been negatively affected from air quality as factory emissions and carbon dioxide from vehicles like cars and common public transportation all of these cause for 50% of all pollution in Shanghai with dust from construction sites, power stations, and straw burning which is intentionally setting a fire to the remains of straw or grains that has already been harvested.