China is a climate leader but still does not do enough emissions, according to a report

China has become a global leader in policy and diplomacy to mitigate the effects of climate change, but it still needs to take significant steps to reduce its own carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report released Thursday. , written by David Sandalow, a former US energy chief at Columbia University, looks in-depth at the emissions and use of coal in 2017, which is by far the largest emitter of gas greenhouse effect accelerating climate change. The study also analyzes the recent policy measures taken by the country's government and the Communist Party on climate

China has extensive climate policies, included in national five-year plans and in provincial and local plans. As a result, the report indicates that it is on track to achieve major climate change goals, including lowering a measure known as carbon intensity. , carbon dioxide emissions peaked no later than 2030 and a fifth At the same time, says the report, if China's carbon emissions continue at the current pace, nations will have more difficulty achieving the goals climate change policy – by limiting the global average temperature. increase to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels.

Even though China's emissions decline after 2030, this goal could be much harder to reach unless they decline rapidly.

metric tons of heat-trapping gas, a quarter of the world's total. That included 9.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, the gas most responsible for accelerated climate change, more than the total of the United States and the European Union combined.

After two years of stability, carbon dioxide emissions are rising in 2017, with major estimates ranging from 1.4% to 4.1% growth, the report says. This was largely because it burned more coal, the main source of emissions.

Coal consumption and emissions in China were flattened before 2017, giving hope to advocates of climate change policies around the world. The rise has eased some of this optimism

Climate and energy researchers say it's still unclear whether a country's carbon emissions are reaching a peak, with a definitive chart only years later. This was the case of the United States, which until recently was the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. According to a Norwegian research group, emissions peaked in 2007 in the United States before falling.

China's emissions tripled between 2000 and 2012, at a time when China was experiencing double-digit economic growth. World Trade Organization

Coal is the main source of energy for energy, manufacturing and construction in China. The fact that the country can reduce emissions quickly enough to make a noticeable difference in global attempts to limit climate change will depend on the ability of those responsible to change the economic structure and energy mix.

million. Sandalow, author of the Columbia Report as a senior official of the US Department of Energy from 2009 to 2013.

The report highlighted China's leading role in global diplomacy on the climate change. "The Chinese government has been unwavering in its support of the Paris Agreement," he said.

This agreement was negotiated in December 2015 and signed the following year, and China's vocal support was an important factor. Successful diplomatic efforts.