China’s Climate Pledge Shows Commitment But Could Have Been More Ambitious, Say Experts

Amid geopolitical turmoil, China announced new targets at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit to cut economy-wide emissions by 7-10% from peak levels by 2035 . While policy experts welcomed its renewed commitment to fight the climate crisis—especially as the US, the largest historical emitter, backtracks—many say the pledge lacks the urgency and ambition needed to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement.

For the first time, China set absolute emission-reduction targets—just days before the UN deadline to submit a second round of updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are revised every five years. It also pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to over 30% by 2035, while increasing the installed capacity of solar and wind by six ti