The European Union has expressed profound disappointment with China’s latest targets for reducing planet-warming gases. On Thursday, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra stated that Beijing’s commitments fall “well short” of what the bloc believes is both achievable and essential for the world’s leading polluter.
China, the world’s second-largest economy and biggest emitter, responsible for nearly 30% of global emissions, unveiled its first-ever absolute climate targets at a UN summit on Wednesday. The nation pledged to decrease economy-wide emissions by 7-10% by 2035, relative to its anticipated peak emissions year of 2025.
Commissioner Hoekstra emphasized that this level of ambition is “clearly disappointing” and, given China’s substantial global environmental impact, it severely complicates the path toward achieving international climate goals.
While many observers concede that the announced targets appear modest, they also note China’s history of exceeding its climate promises, driven by rapid advancements in green technology. However, this current trajectory, which mirrors the emission reduction pace seen in the United States and the EU during the decade following their peak emissions, is widely considered insufficient to meet the crucial 1.5°C warming limit set by the 2015 Paris Agreement, a threshold vital to avert the most catastrophic climate impacts.
The European Union itself, also a major global polluter, has demonstrated a strong commitment to climate action, particularly in response to widespread global disasters like floods and wildfires. Yet, its leadership is currently challenged by internal disagreements over the scope of its ambitions, as the bloc prioritizes defense and industrial growth amidst the conflict in Ukraine and global trade tensions.
Brussels has committed to a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, having already achieved nearly 40% of this goal, according to the European Commission. Despite this, the EU has yet to establish a firm target for 2035, as stipulated by the Paris Agreement. On Wednesday, Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen informed the UN summit that EU member states have broadly agreed on a range between 66.25% and 72.5% for 2035, with a formal pledge expected at a later date.
Previously, China had pledged to reach peak carbon output before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, without specifying concrete near-term numerical targets for overall emission reductions. This latest announcement from Beijing comes as the United States continues to increase its fossil fuel production domestically and internationally, under the administration of President Donald Trump, who controversially dismisses climate change as a “con job.”