---
title: "China Suddenly Pledges to Become Completely Carbon Neutral"
description: "Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday that China would attempt to go completely carbon neutral by the year 2060."
date: "2020-09-23"
modified: "2020-09-23"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-pledges-become-completely-carbon-neutral"
categories:
  - "Climate Change"
  - "Environment"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "climate change"
  - "environment"
  - "the digest"
---

# China Suddenly Pledges to Become Completely Carbon Neutral

![Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday that China would attempt to go completely carbon neutral by the year 2060.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/china-pledges-become-completely-carbon-neutral.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Hahaheditor12667\</em\>*

## 40-Year Plan

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made the unexpected announcement that China plans to become totally carbon-neutral by the year 2060.

Doing so would be an incredibly ambitious — and unprecedented — move for a country that currently burns more fossil fuels than any other on Earth, *[Bloomberg News ](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-23/china-wants-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2060-is-that-even-possible>)*[reports](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-23/china-wants-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2060-is-that-even-possible>). But it is technically possible and would be a sizeable boon in the global [fight against climate change](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/temperature-rise-kill-china>), experts suggest, as long as China fully commits.

## Missing Steps

Xi didn't share many details about the plan, beyond saying that the nation would take "more vigorous" steps to meet the climate goals laid out in the [2015 Paris agreement](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/one-percent-emits-twice-carbon-half-world>). *Bloomberg* suggests we may learn more next year, when China releases the next version of its five-year plan, an ongoing outline of the country's goals.

"If any country can achieve such ambitious goals it will be China," Gavin Thompson, Asia-Pacific vice-chairman at the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd, told *Bloomberg*.

## Huge Challenge

But just because it's possible doesn't mean it will be easy for China to make the switch. *Bloomberg* reports that China currently generates 85 percent of its energy from fossil fuels and burns about [as much coal](<https://futurism.com/china-built-huge-floating-solar-farm-top-deserted-coal-mine>) as the rest of the world combined.

"What's being contemplated here has never been done before," Neil Beveridge, an analyst at Bernstein Research, told *Bloomberg*. "The larger the energy mix, the longer it takes to transition. This is a monumental challenge."

**READ MORE:** [China Wants to Be Carbon Neutral By 2060. Is That Possible?](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-23/china-wants-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2060-is-that-even-possible?>) \[*Bloomberg News*\]

**More on climate change:** *[The War on Terror Is Murdering the Environment](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/war-on-terror-murdering-environment>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)