Posts tagged coal
What Drives Pakistan's Coal-fired Power Plant Construction Boom?
What Drives Pakistan's Coal-fired Power Plant Construction Boom?

In September 2021, at the United Nations General Assembly, China’s President Xi announced that China would no longer support overseas coal-fired power plants. One of the primary beneficiaries of Chinese public finance in coal has been Pakistan’s energy sector. According to the IEA, between 2015 and 2018, Pakistan’s coal-based generation capacity increased from 148 GWh to 15,930 GWh. Such a ramp up in energy generation capacity was sorely needed. Pakistan faced crippling blackouts, which undermined the investment climate and suppressed industrial output, not to mention energy access concerns

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Climate Policy LabAuthor - Rishikesh Bhandary, Country: Pakistan, coal, BRI, China Belt and Road Initiative, Research Focus - China Belt and Road Initiative
A Climate-responsible COVID Stimulus Makes Sense for India
A Climate-responsible COVID Stimulus Makes Sense for India

Since the onset of the COVID crisis, economic stimulus has been re-framed as roadmaps to ‘green recovery’ or ‘building back better’. The question is whether these ideas are useful for India, especially when it is facing a longer road out of the pandemic than previously thought. Evidence supports that they are relevant, for three reasons.

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Climate SmartClimate Policy LabTarun Gopalakrishnan, India, green stimulus, climate policy, green jobs, pollution, energy RD&D, energy innovation, climate policy performance, equity, electric grid, 2021, oil, carbon tax, climate finance, coal, green infrastructure, electric vehicles, solar, innovationComment
South-South Coal: If Recipient Countries Go Green, so Would the BRI
South-South Coal: If Recipient Countries Go Green, so Would the BRI

China’s recent pledge to achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions by 2060 garnered much international attention. Europe and Japan are already committing to net zero targets that phase out most coal usage by 2030, and a re-entry of the United States into the Paris Agreement will mean greater pressure on China to exit from coal. China’s top academic experts are suggesting the country’s coal use needs to fall to 5 percent or less by 2050, unless coupled with carbon capture and storage. While China’s pledge covers emissions within its own territory, it continues to accumulate a major footprint overseas with its financing of coal-fired power plants. China’s external financing of coal is likely to face greater scrutiny as well with a growing number of countries and international institutions pledging to stop the funding of coal projects.

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Climate SmartClimate Policy LabRishikesh Ram Bhandary, Easwaran Narassimhan, Fang Zhang, 2020, China, China BRI, coal, China Belt and Road Initiative, Paris Agreement, net zero, carbon capture, climate finance, national development banks, South-South, energy transition, electricity reform
Why China needs a carbon cap to achieve net zero by 2060
Why China needs a carbon cap to achieve net zero by 2060

China’s leaders are meeting this week to set the country’s long-term goals. An important element of the process will be the country’s next Five-Year Plan (FYP), which provides a roadmap and window into China’s vision for itself and its economy. This year’s FYP is particularly significant for the world because it will explain how the Chinese government plans to reach its newly announced target of zero net carbon emissions by 2060. Previous plans have emphasized the need for China to promote technology innovation self-sufficiency including in the important area of energy as well as to set targets for non-fossil energy, energy efficiency, coal caps, and carbon intensity. New energy technology, including electric and automated cars, renewable energy, and batteries, featured widely in China 2025, the country’s widely disseminated industrial plan. China’s 12th FYP targeted new energy vehicles as one of seven strategic industries, allocating billions of dollars to their development and promotion.

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Climate SmartClimate Policy Labclimate, China, climate smart, carbon, carbon cap, net zero, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Amy, Amy Myers Jaffe, 2020, climate policy performance, greenhouse gases, GHGs, decarbonization, coal, emissions cap, cap and trade, energy transition, oil, carbon pricing Comment