China, the biggest global polluter, pledged to cut emissions and set a defined target to do so.

China is willing to reduce its emissions across by between 7 and 10 per cent from peak levels by 2035, presenting its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Climate Accords.

The scale of China’s emissions make this, its first such action, significant, and especially as the US government is scaling back support for renewables. China is second only to the US in total historic emissions, and catching up fast, emitting more than a quarter of planet-warming emissions in 2023.

It has also pledged to increase its share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to more than 30 per cent and expand the installed capacity of wind and solar power to 3.6TW. The reduction is welcome but would still not be enough to align with the Paris Agreement.

However, Yao Zhe, the Beijing-based Global Policy Advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, said: “Beijing tends to set targets that it can confidently deliver and prioritises keeping any promises. What’s hopeful is that the actual decarbonisation of China’s economy is likely to exceed its target on paper. Our latest analysis shows that China’s power sector, which accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, can peak this year, followed by a robust structural decline faster than indicated by the NDC.”

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