Trump Calls Climate Crisis a "Hoax"; Xi Jinping Vows 7-10% Greenhouse Gas Reduction the Next Day

China Stresses Low-Carbon Path at UN Climate Summit
"Some Countries Are Going Against the Trend"

The day after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the climate crisis was a "hoax" during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10 percent by 2035.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is delivering a virtual speech at the Climate Summit held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 24th (local time). Photo by AP

According to AFP and other sources on the 24th (local time), President Xi revealed this greenhouse gas reduction plan in a virtual address at the United Nations Climate Summit held in New York, United States. He explained that this plan is part of the global Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for greenhouse gas reduction, and that in China’s case, non-fossil fuel consumption will account for more than 30 percent of total energy consumption by 2035. President Xi particularly emphasized that China would increase its total installed wind and solar power capacity to 3.6 billion kilowatts, more than six times the 2020 level.

President Xi stated, "The transition to green and low-carbon development is the trend of our times," adding, "Although some countries are going against this trend, the international community must remain focused on the right direction." In this regard, The New York Times interpreted that "while President Xi did not directly mention the United States, it appeared he was pointing to the U.S., which did not participate in the Climate Summit."

The fact that China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, highlighted its carbon reduction targets is drawing attention, especially as the Trump administration is strengthening the use of fossil fuels. According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration has recently been pressuring the World Bank to expand funding for fossil fuel projects, including new gas drilling.

Additionally, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly the previous day, President Trump described the global climate change response and carbon reduction policies led by the United Nations as "the greatest scam ever perpetrated on the world," warning world leaders that "your countries will fail unless you break away from the 'green scam.'" He also stated that while Europe has reduced greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy, causing energy prices to soar and production facilities to collapse, "(more carbon) has come from China and other prospering countries in its vicinity. China now emits more carbon dioxide than all other advanced countries in the world combined."

Some observers have pointed out that the absolute level of China's carbon reduction target set on this day falls short of international expectations. Casey Brown, Deputy Director for Climate Diplomacy and Governance at the UK think tank E3G, said, "China's 2035 target falls far short of what is needed," adding, "If China does not strengthen its target, its claims to champion multilateralism and green economic leadership could be undermined."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.