TChinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge on Tuesday to stop building new coal-fired power plant projects outside the country will be good news for environmentalists around the world. He spoke on the anniversary of Xi’s unilateral commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by China by 2060. Last year, Xi also pledged that China’s emissions would peak by 2030.

“China will step up support to other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new overseas coal-fired power projects,” Xi said in a video speech. pre-registered at the United Nations Annual General Assembly.

Xi is personally invested in the climate agenda. Since coming to power in 2012, Beijing has taken more visible steps to tackle its own environmental issues such as pollution. He has also extended his influence abroad by joining international initiatives such as the 2015 Paris climate agreement – a commitment that Donald Trump withdrew from the United States four years ago but which Joe Biden joined. . And unlike some countries, the Chinese political elite agree that the climate crisis is real.

In China, citizens are increasingly aware of the impact of the climate crisis. The devastating flooding this summer in Henan Province illustrated to many the consequences of inaction on the climate emergency. Jia Xiaolong, deputy director of the national climate center, told the Chinese news agency that the heavy rains in Henan occurred “against the backdrop of global warming.”

Xi’s announcement comes at a time when China’s relations with Western countries continue to deteriorate. Last week, the US, UK and Australia introduced a trilateral security partnership dubbed Aukus, which most analysts say is aimed at controlling China. Meanwhile, questions have arisen as to whether Xi will personally attend the Cop26 meeting in Glasgow in November.

Sam Geall, Managing Director of China Dialogue, an environmental think tank, said: “[Xi’s pledge at the UN] means that China remains engaged in climate action before Cop26, even when geopolitical tensions increase in other arenas – because China sees climate action as being in its national interest, in terms of technological leadership, d political economy and, without a doubt, of soft power.

“It also sends a message to countries in the South that China is betting on a low-carbon future and that China aims to be the main supplier and financier to developing countries of these clean technologies and infrastructure.”

There is no doubt about the importance of China’s pledge to stop funding overseas coal-fired power projects. Until recently, China, Japan and South Korea accounted for more than 95% of all foreign funding for coal-fired power plants, according to Georgetown University. Japan and South Korea have pledged to cease operations early this year.

But the trio’s multitude of promises in recent months is “a fruit at hand,” according to Geall. Falling renewable energy prices in recent months mean that the economic case for coal is worse than ever. Few countries want to be encumbered with new coal fleets. “China will, of course, have to go further in reducing its domestic production and consumption of coal – which it has the opportunity to do under its 14th five-year plan and under the target. 2060, “he said.

Dr Thomas Hale of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford agrees. He said coal remains very much alive in China, which is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. After Xi’s engagement, all eyes would be on China’s internal plans. “Ultimately, the most important question for the future of life on planet Earth is how quickly China can shut down its thousands of coal plants,” he said.

But China’s historic dependence on coal is driven by the need to maintain economic activity. Ultimately, how China reduces its dependence on coal will be determined by the transition of the economy itself. This is what Beijing has promised to do, but it turns out to be a difficult task. Chinese provincial governments have approved construction of 24 new coal-fired power plants in the first half of 2021, including three large-scale power plants, according to Greenpeace, although this is down from the numbers approved in 2020.

As international comments have focused heavily on the economic ramifications of the potential collapse of Evergrande, China’s second-largest real estate developer, in recent weeks, Hale believes this crisis may ultimately be bigger for the climate.

“If this building crisis helps steer the Chinese economy away from a debt-fueled growth model, this could be the biggest climate development of the year. If instead it shows how deeply rooted this model is in China’s political economy, then we will need to treat China’s climate ambitions with greater skepticism, ”he said.