Just over half of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions come from just 25 mega-cities — 23 of which are located in China — a study has reported.
The cities that emit the most greenhouse gases included Handan, Suzhou, Dalian, Beijing and Tianjin in China — but also Tokyo, Japan, and Moscow, Russia.
China’s President Xi Jinping has pledged to cap carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 — part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement.
However, research by the United Nations has found that unless we take more drastic action, we are on track for a more than 5.4°F (3°C) increase by 2100.
And, based on the findings of the new study, China in particular will need to step up its switch from coal to renewables if it is to meet President Xi’s goals in this area.
At present, China is running a whopping 1,058 coal-fired power plants — equal to more than half of the world’s entire capacity.