China’s Plan to Deal With Climate Change Explained
The climate crisis will be the great challenge of our century. China, no less than any other country, is facing the pressures of a changing climate: most recently, unusually severe flooding in the southern province of Guangdong has seen thousands displaced from their homes and around 40 people lose their lives. However, the Chinese government has a plan to help mitigate the worsening effects of climate change even as it commits to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
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Tree Planting
A key part of China’s climate resiliency plan is tree planting. Since March 13th was officially designated National Tree Planting Day in 1979. An estimate is that 78.1 billion additional trees have been planted, according to data from China’s National Greening Commission. In just over 40 years this has seen China’s overall tree coverage rise from 12% to 23%.
The main aim of this tree planting is to capture carbon and help China meet its carbon goals. China’s forest coverage has acted as a sink for around 9.19 billion tonnes of carbon, according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office. However, tree coverage is also an important part of Chinese climate resiliency. For example, the Great Green Wall of China (officially the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program) is a 13-province-wide initiative accounting for 32 million hectares of forest and 85 million hectares of restored grassland in China’s north. The Great Green Wall acts as a wind-break counteracting the effects of desertification in the north of China, as well as promoting biodiversity.
Another key role for China’s tree planting plan can be found in urban areas. Tree coverage in Chinese cities has increased by 41% since 1980. This is obviously good for urban biodiversity, but it also has a crucial role in mitigating the impact of the climate crisis on everyday people. Urban areas can be up to 3C warmer than rural areas, and with record-breaking temperatures, this has the potential to be deadly for city-dwellers. This is where tree coverage comes in: the shade provided by tree coverage can reduce surface temperatures by up to 11C. China’s urban tree program, then, will be vital for urban residents who are sensitive to increasing temperatures.
The Shenzhou-18 astronaut crew aboard China's space station has provided a bird's eye view of the country's environmental progress, with images revealing a greener northern China after decades of afforestation efforts.
South-to-North Water Transfer
One of the major impacts of climate change in the dry north of China has been additional pressure on water resources as temperatures increase. This problem is particularly acute in the North China Plain, home to around 30% of the nation’s population but only 10% of the water resources.
To mitigate the increasing pressure on water resources in the north of China, the government has initiated the South-to-North Water Diversion project, the world's largest such project. The project transfers water from the Yangtze River to dryer areas in the north and has so far proven successful in reducing pressure on stretched northern water resources. For example, around 70% of Beijing's tap water comes directly from the project, and in the decade of operation, the average depth of underground water in the capital increased by 2.88 meters, ending a 16-year decline.
Climate Resilience
If the major issue facing the north of China is a drying landscape, then in the south and center of the country, increased rainfall and storms are the main concern: for example, in 2021, in Henan province alone, extreme rainfall caused 300 deaths, and wiped out 50,000 homes and thousands of hectares of crops. This situation is only getting worse: this month alone saw 33 rivers nationwide exceeding warning levels, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
In response China’s government has vowed to build a climate-resilient society by 2035. This involves plans to develop the world’s most advanced climate change monitoring and early warning weather system as well as to invest in climate resilient infrastructure. In order to achieve this last year every province was tasked with producing a climate action plan, and the national government has elevated climate adaption to the national agenda.
China, home to 18% of the global population, needs to be at the forefront of any global plan to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency. China still has a long way to go to meet its goal of a climate-resilient and carbon-neutral society, but we can already see China’s climate program take effect. We will all have to keep an eye on how the plan develops in the future and if other large economies follow China’s lead.
In 2022, China's carbon emissions intensity decreased more than 51 percent from its 2005 level
The share of non-fossil energy in China's total energy consumption reached 17.5 percent
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Further Reading
The 75-Year-Old Grieving Mother Creating a Green Miracle in the Desert
Beijing: A Capital Garden City
Charting China's efforts to combat desertification
Graphics: How is China progressing in its scaled-up response to climate change
Page Editor: Jin Yulin
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