⁍ There was still a long way to go, said Zhao Yingmin, the vice-minister of ecology and environment.
⁍ China met a series of targets on smog, water quality and carbon emissions over the five years from 2016.
⁍ China remains dependent on heavy industry and coal, and the ‘grim environmental trends’ have not fundamentally changed.
– President Xi Jinping’s announcement last month that China would seek “carbon neutrality” by 2060 as part of its commitments to the Paris climate accord is seen as a challenge to the US, which is set to withdraw from the deal on Nov. 4. On Monday, the foreign ministry criticized Washington’s record on climate, calling it a consensus-breaker and a troublemaker. China is drawing up a new five-year plan for 2021-2025, which experts say would require stronger commitment to controlling coal consumption and promoting low-carbon energy to meet the 2060 target of carbon neutrality, reports Reuters. Zhao did not give detail of the next five-year plan, but said China would step up efforts to control fossil fuel consumption and promote low-carbon technology, while promising greater contributions to tackling climate change.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/china-environment/china-says-environment-still-grim-despite-five-years-of-progress-idUSKBN2760EF