Quarter of China's energy now comes from non-carbon sources: white paper

Beijing: A quarter of all the energy China consumes now comes from non carbon sources, according to research published Thursday, as Beijing rapidly pi...

Beijing: A quarter of all the energy China consumes now comes from non-carbon sources, according to research published Thursday, as Beijing rapidly pivots its huge economy to a greener footing. The country is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, though has in recent years emerged as a global leader in renewable energy.

It has pledged to bring its emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.

A white paper published Thursday said the proportion of "clean energy" in total national consumption rose from 15.5 percent to 26.4 percent over the past decade, according to state news agency Xinhua. This also includes nuclear energy, according to the paper.

By the end of 2023, China's cumulative installed capacities of wind and solar power had increased elevenfold over the past decade, it added.

It said China was responsible for more than 40 percent of annual additions to global renewable energy capacity since 2013.