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Paris climate summit 2015

The UN Paris climate summit, or COP21, is a conference at which it is hoped 195 countries will agree a plan of action to tackle climate change. This year the summit will, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

A worker unloads a sack of charcoal from a truck at a wholesale market in Mumbai on August 9. Photo: Bloomberg

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Opinion | Heatwave, coal crisis should speed up India’s renewable energy push

India’s rising demand for electricity is feeding its power crisis as it reshapes its energy grid to meet the future. Investing in renewable and clean energy, along with strong policies to support and achieve the goals, is the way forward.

25 May 2022 - 11:45AMvideocam

Climate change

US-China disputes mean ‘serious’ climate trouble, says Washington envoy

21 Apr 2022 - 2:08AMvideocam

Business of climate change

Chinese manufacturers lack plan on carbon emissions without firm targets

5 Apr 2022 - 9:30AMvideocam

Climate change

200 nations gather for UN report on halting climate crisis

Talks begin on Monday to summarise a huge report detailing how to stop carbon pollution overheating the planet; This is ‘about the large-scale transformation of all major systems’, said climate economist.

19 Mar 2022 - 2:57AMvideocam

The coal-powered Datang International Zhangjiakou Power Station in China, belching out smoke. Photo: TNS

China’s carbon neutral goal

Opinion | China could phase out coal with two changes that don’t cost the Earth

A study has found that the central government’s policy framework is already suitable for facilitating a rapid curbing of coal market development, but the incentive structure for local governments and state-owned enterprises needs to be improved.

14 Mar 2022 - 5:03PMvideocam

Climate change

Global assets worth up to US$12.7 trillion exposed to climate risks, report says

While billions of people and ecosystems least able to cope are being hit hardest by climate change, trillions of dollars worth of assets will be exposed to risks from storms and rising sea levels by 2100, scientists said.

28 Feb 2022 - 7:00PM

Coronavirus Hong Kong

Letters | Here’s the silver lining to Hong Kong’s ‘partygate’

Readers discuss the effects of the birthday party scandal and Cathay Pacific’s treatment, the need for upright behaviour by public officials, and Hong Kong’s climate change efforts.

16 Jan 2022 - 2:30PMvideocam

People arrive to start their stay at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre on Lantau Island on January 7. Photo: Martin Chan

Hong Kong environmental issues

Hong Kong not living up to climate commitments under Paris Agreement: report

The city’s targets for reducing emissions fall short of what is recommended to ensure global temperatures rise no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to an NGO.

16 Dec 2021 - 8:56PM

Climate change

Opinion | Why our current plans to tackle climate change will fail

Despite the COP26 agreements, the world is still not equipped to take collective climate action. For this to change, we need policies that do not disproportionately hurt poor countries, and a more inclusive decision-making process.

14 Dec 2021 - 3:50PMvideocam

COP26

Opinion | To move the masses into climate action, we need a really good story

COP26 has generated many climate agreements but no one seems to have found the right narrative to unite us in confronting a frightening future of climate catastrophe.

19 Nov 2021 - 2:30PMvideocam

COP26

‘Achieved good progress’: Chinese climate adviser rates COP26 a success

Going into the Glasgow summit, China sought a ‘powerful, balanced and inclusive result’, including on the concerns of developing countries, adviser says.

19 Nov 2021 - 8:00AMvideocam

Wang Yi, a climate specialist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says China has plans for emissions control under its five-year plan for economic and social development to 2025. Photo: Reuters

COP26

Deciphering China’s relationship with coal as it aims for carbon neutrality

Deciphering China’s relationship with coal is key to understanding the nation’s path towards carbon neutrality, particularly as the economy’s addiction to the fossil fuel runs up against President Xi Jinping’s carbon neutrality pledge.

11 Nov 2021 - 11:33AM

COP26

At COP26, China doesn’t want solutions held up by target negotiation

Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua says the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is a hurdle in Glasgow negotiations.

9 Nov 2021 - 11:47PMvideocam

Macroscope

Macroscope | COP26: how China’s climate actions speak louder than the US’ words

Given China’s manufacturing heft, it is no surprise that it is the world’s biggest carbon emitter. But Beijing is also taking practical measures to transition to a carbon neutral economy, and inspiring other developing countries in the process.

9 Nov 2021 - 2:30PMvideocam

An aerial view of wind power generators in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, on October 27. China is at the centre of worldwide demand and supply for renewables. Photo: EPA-EFE

Banking & finance

China unveils facility to subsidise banks for lending to green projects

China’s central bank unveils a lending facility at more than half the market interest rate to subsidise funding for low carbon-emission projects.

9 Nov 2021 - 11:35AMvideocam

China ranks as the world’s biggest greenhouse gases emitter at more than 10 billion tonnes a year. Photo: Reuters

COP26

From ‘airpocalypse’ to carbon cutter: China’s road to climate reckoning

In 2013, Beijing was blanketed in smog and relying on fossil fuels to drive its economy.

9 Nov 2021 - 12:17AMvideocam

Climate change

Opinion | Turning value chains green can speed up transition to net-zero emissions

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on global value chains, but it could also spark a rethink of how to organise them. Going green can become a competitive advantage for emerging economies seeking to join global production systems and fulfil climate commitments.

7 Nov 2021 - 1:30AMvideocam

COP26

‘We are not the one who withdrew from Paris Agreement’, Chinese official says

China’s ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun says countries needed to make ‘firm commitment and continued actions’ in tackling climate change.

3 Nov 2021 - 11:26PMvideocam

The coal-fired Plant Scherer, one of the top carbon dioxide emitters in the US, in June 2017. Photo: AP

COP26

COP26: China optimistic on climate deal after ‘wasted’ years

Hard work needed to catch up after the US under Donald Trump ‘gave up’ on 2015 Paris Agreement, says top Chinese climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua.

3 Nov 2021 - 1:51PMvideocam

COP26

China’s farms hit by climate events a sign ‘ordinary people suffer most’

While world leaders meet at COP26 in Glasgow to discuss the fate of the planet, growers in China are surveying the damage from extreme weather this summer.

2 Nov 2021 - 5:49PMvideocam

COP26

Xi calls on countries to fight climate change, but makes no new commitments

In a written statement to the COP26 summit, Xi Jinping called on countries to focus on ‘concrete actions’ and harness innovations in science and technology to ‘accelerate the green transition’.

2 Nov 2021 - 3:45AMvideocam

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President Xi Jinping’s address to world leaders at the G20 summit on Sunday is shown on a screen at a Beijing shopping centre. The meeting was a prelude to COP26 in Glasgow. Photo: Reuters

COP26

Explainer | Handy guide to key facts and terms at COP26 Glasgow

Here are some of the key issues that will be discussed at the UN climate summit in Scotland, which started Sunday and is scheduled to run to November 13.

1 Nov 2021 - 2:59PMvideocam

Activists symbolically set George Square on fire with an art installation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo: Reuters

G20

Biden ‘disappointed’ by Xi absence as G20 leaders make few new climate vows

Final statement from Rome summit recognises that the 1.5C target will have a much lower impact than 2C but does not go beyond Paris agreement goals.

1 Nov 2021 - 2:00PMvideocam

Climate change

Opinion | How plugging data gaps will transform our response to climate change

The creation of a major new initiative by three UN agencies will close the gaps in data undermining our understanding of the climate and extreme weather. The initiative will enable the world’s most vulnerable communities to get ahead of the curve and build resilience.

31 Oct 2021 - 5:09PMvideocam

Climate change

COP26: developed nations should meet climate finance pledges, China says

Minister urges action as summit’s finance plan shows developed nations’ pledge of US$100 billion a year in climate funds by 2020 is three years behind schedule.

31 Oct 2021 - 5:10PMvideocam

A worker stands in the coal yard at power plant in West Virginia. File photo: Bloomberg

China’s carbon neutral goal

China issues plan for path to peak emissions and carbon neutral goal

Framework restates country’s goals for 2025 and 2030 and comes just ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow.

27 Oct 2021 - 7:30AMvideocam

The installed capacity of coal-fired power plants in China is to be strictly controlled, according to a policy document. Photo: Reuters

Climate change

Macroscope | COP26: despite the energy crunch, the focus must remain on renewables

Energy demand is rising more quickly than the availability of renewable alternatives, emphasising the need for greater investment. The trend towards net-zero carbon will touch all parts of the economy, as shown in areas such as electric cars and ‘green steel’.

31 Oct 2021 - 5:10PMvideocam

Inside Out & Outside In

Outside In | Are we ready to make the drastic lifestyle changes to get to net zero?

Rocketing fossil fuel prices worldwide make it clear the transition to sustainability is going to be messier and more costly than we think. Political leaders need the will to make unpopular decisions, and consumers will have to make significant lifestyle changes.

9 Oct 2021 - 8:45AMvideocam

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