Recent years have witnessed record-breaking heatwaves worldwide, making it clear that global warming is not merely a distant warning but a harsh reality.

Meanwhile, China, with its steadfast commitment and remarkable progress in green development, has emerged as a champion in the global transition to renewable energy, serving as a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change.

Trees in Kangping, a key county in the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, Liaoning Province, northeast China, September 18, 2022. /VCG

China has been making concrete steps toward its commitment to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP decreased by 50.9 percent in 2021 compared to 2005, the base year for the country's climate contributions, according to recent reports submitted by China to the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The country has been growing literally greener. China's forest coverage rate reached 25 percent by 2023, with forest stock exceeding 20 billion cubic meters. The annual carbon-sink capacity of China's forests and grassland has exceeded 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, ranking first in the world.

Meanwhile, renewable energy expansion in China continues to set new records, with over 200 million kilowatts of newly installed capacity for renewable energy power generation in the first three quarters of 2024, accounting for more than 80 percent of total new installed capacity. In 2023, China accounted for 60 percent of the new renewable capacity added worldwide, according to World Energy Outlook 2024.

Electricity generated from clean energy accounted for 39.7 percent of the country's total power generation in 2023, up by around 15 percentage points from 2013, according to a white paper titled China's Energy Transition issued in 2024.

China is also a top player in reducing energy intensity, with 26 percent down since 2012. Its production and sales of new energy vehicles have topped the world for 10 consecutive years.