China’s New Climate Pledge Shocks the UN — Is It Enough?
China has signaled its first-ever absolute emissions cuts, pledging to reduce greenhouse gases 7–10% from peak levels by 2035 and to expand wind and solar sixfold from 2020, lifting non-fossil energy above 30% of consumption. In a video address to a UN climate summit, President Xi Jinping urged the world to stay the course despite “some countries” moving backward — a thinly veiled jab at Washington’s renewed climate skepticism. Environmental groups welcomed the direction but said the numbers still undershoot what’s needed for 1.5°C. Other major players outlined their own targets: Brazil aims for a 59–67% cut by 2035, Australia for 62–70% below 2005 levels, and Palau for 44% below 2015 levels. The EU, meanwhile, is still finalizing a 2035 goal after committing to –55% by 2030.
China led the day’s announcements at a UN climate leaders’ gathering, unveiling plans to cut emissions 7–10% from peak by 2035 and turbocharge renewables, according to Reuters. Xi framed the move as part of an irreversible “green, low-carbon” transition and subtly rebuked U.S. climate denialism that resurfaced at the UN General Assembly. The pledge marks Beijing’s first reduction target framed as an absolute cut rather than a cap on growth, but it landed below the 30% many observers hoped for to keep its 2060 net-zero path credible. Europe is still haggling over its 2035 number, even as officials say the bloc remains on track for a 55% cut by 2030. Australia set a 62–70% by 2035 goal from a 2005 baseline, while Brazil outlined a 59–67% cut by 2035 and fresh anti-deforestation steps. Small island states pushed hardest: Palau committed to 44% below 2015 by 2035 and reminded leaders of the International Court of Justice’s opinion that countries have a legal duty to do more.
Critics called the day’s pledges “movement, not yet mission-ready.” Analysts warned that even with China’s first absolute cut and surging global renewables deployment, current plans still chart a path well above 1.5°C. Xi’s stance nevertheless spotlights a shifting center of gravity in clean-tech markets, where China’s sheer scale in solar, wind, and EVs positions it to capitalize if others hesitate. The rhetorical clash with Washington underscores a widening policy gap: while some leaders deride climate action, investors continue to tilt capital toward electrification and grid build-out. The UN’s message was blunt: actions since Paris may have lowered projected heating, but only far deeper 2035 plans will close the gap. Whether the EU can lock in a higher-ambition target before COP30 — and whether China chooses to overdeliver on today’s modest headline — will shape the world’s decarbonization tempo for the next decade.