China building more wind, solar capacity than rest of world combined: report

BEIJING – China is building almost twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as every other country combined, research published on Thursday showed.

The world’s second-largest economy is the biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change.

China has committed to bring carbon emissions to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.

It has endured several waves of extreme weather in recent months that scientists say are rendered more severe by climate change.

China currently has a total of 339 gigawatts (GW) of capacity under construction, including 159 GW of wind and 180 GW of solar.

That is “nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined”, according to the study by Global Energy Monitor, a US-based NGO.

The figure far exceeds the second-ranked nation, the United States, which is building a total of just 40 GW, the report said.

It said China has broken ground on a third of new wind and solar capacity it has announced to date, compared to a global average of just seven percent.

“The stark contrast in construction rates illustrates the active nature of China’s commitment to building renewables projects,” the study said.