China
China prioritises employment over GDP growth in coronavirus recovery
Climate watchers are cautiously hopeful Beijing will not turn to polluting infrastructure to rebuild the economy, but specific assurances are lacking
China may delay submitting climate plans amid economic slowdown
Beijing could wait for the results of the US presidential election in November before it announces an update to its climate plan
Coronavirus: China’s economic slowdown curbs deadly air pollution
Premature deaths from air pollution in China could fall by 50,000-100,000 if economic downturn lasts a year, study estimates
Legal gaps and US election could delay climate ambition before Glasgow summit
UN says some countries will only submit climate action plans in the last quarter of 2020, giving less time than hoped to take stock before Cop26
UN biodiversity meeting needs to deliver transformative change, not just targets
The biodiversity talks taking place in China later this year require a legacy that can stand the test of time, rather than a cosmetic victory
UN biodiversity meeting in China under review following coronavirus outbreak
UN agencies and the Chinese government are holding consultations to decide whether next month’s meeting can go ahead as planned
The legacy of Xie Zhenhua, minister who transformed China’s climate policy
The retired minister oversaw a shift from defending China’s ‘right to emit’ to become a key creator of the Paris Agreement
EU plots climate deal with China
European leaders hope to strike a bargain with Beijing next September. What the EU can offer China to bring down its emissions is unclear
The fight for the world’s largest forest
In Siberia, an illicit timber industry feeds factories in China. But one of Russia’s fiercest environmentalists is on patrol
China and India demand cash for climate action on eve of UN summit
World’s largest and fourth largest emitters said the onus remained on the countries historically responsible for climate change to move money
Chinese Belt and Road plan ‘may result in 2.7C warming’
Without green policy controls, $12tn programme could promote development that would compromise the goals of the Paris Agreement, report finds
US trade war undermining Chinese efforts on climate, says official
‘Don’t underestimate the difficulties China is facing,’ a top official said ahead of a key UN summit designed to accelerate climate action
China is expanding its UN presence, in belt and road push
UN farming chief is the latest top job to be filled from Beijing, as China promotes ‘ecological civilisation’ and promises to green its foreign investment drive
China pledges to strengthen climate plan
In a joint statement with France, the world’s biggest emitter declared an intention to upgrade its contribution to the Paris Agreement
Democrat frontrunner Biden says he will stop China spreading coal around the world
Joe Biden, who tops opinion polls in the Democratic primaries, pledges to build a coalition of nations to scrub dirty energy from China’s belt and road programme
How can the biodiversity and climate crises be tackled together?
The protection of nature is a major weapon against the climate crisis, but it remains on the periphery of diplomacy and finance. That might be changing
Multiple coal deals emerge from China’s ‘green’ investment summit
At the belt and road summit in Beijing, leaders talked up sustainable development, while investors forged ahead with polluting power projects in partner countries
China promotes ‘green’ belt and road, but is pressured over coal investments
More than 30 heads of state arrive in Beijing to court its massive outward investment plan, but the UN chief and others warn the investments must be sustainable
EU, China agree to work together on clean energy
After a Brussels summit dominated by trade tensions, the two major powers presented a united front on climate change and clean energy
China’s Xi backs climate-friendly finance on Europe tour
Xi made common cause with Emmanuel Macron on climate change, amid multi-billion dollar business deals on a 6-day visit to Europe