China takes steps towards green development in 2023

In a bid to cut down pollution, China made steady progress in 2023 towards its “dual carbon” goal which is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and before that reach carbon emissions peak by 2030.

Xinhua news agency reported several key figures related to China’s achievements in green development last year.

In the renewable energy sector, as per the National Energy Administration (NEA), China’s total installed capacity of renewable energy rose 20.8 % year on year surpassing 1.4 billion kilowatts at the end of October last year. This is 49.9% of the country’s total installed power generation capacity.

By November 2023 end, the installed solar power generation was around 560 million kilowatts, up 49.9% year on year, said the National Energy Administration.

Key figures of China’s 2023 Green Development

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According to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the new energy vehicle (NEV) wholesale sales of China, a global leader in the NEV industry, totalled 8.88 million units in 2023, a notable expansion of 38 % year on year.

By September 2023, more than 64% of the global NEV sales were from China, said 2023 World New Energy Vehicle Congress.

On the other hand, China marked its first National Ecology Day on August 15, 2023. As per China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, from 2013 to 2022, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP declined 34.4 % and its PM2.5 density fell 57%.

From 2013 to 2022, its forest coverage has risen from 21.63% to 24.02%, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China reported.

The ecology ministry said in the first 11 months of 2023, the share of good air quality days stood at 85.8% in 339 cities, up by 3.3 percentage points in the same period of 2019.