14 DAY TRIAL // This February 19, the World Wildlife Fund announced that, according to a new report pieced together by specialists working with the Energy Transition Research Institute, China could put its dependence on fossil fuels behind it and have as much as 80% of its energy need met by renewables by 2050.
On its website, the World Wildlife Fund goes on to detail that, according to said report, China's switching to depending heavily on green energy sources instead of on dirty fuels has high chances to yield noteworthy benefits both environmentally- and financially-wise.
More precisely, the organization says that, when compared to a continued reliance on coal, embracing renewables would help the country cut down on its electricity costs.
Besides, by having 80% of its energy demand met by renewables, China is likely to reduce its current power generation-related carbon emissions by as much as 90%.
“By embracing conservation measures and renewable energy, China can transition to an 80 percent renewable electric power system by 2050 at far less cost than continuing to rely on coal, according to a new report from WWF-US,” the World Wildlife Fund writes.
Furthermore, “As a result, China’s carbon emissions from power generation could be 90 percent less than currently projected levels in 2050 without compromising the reliability of the electric grid or slowing economic growth.”
The catch is that, in order to succeed in upping its dependence on green sources to said extent by the year 2050, China must also take steps towards reducing consumption by promoting energy efficiency.
Specifically, it must roll out new and stricter standards concerning the energy requirements of appliances and industrial equipment. By doing so, it can cut its yearly power use by as much as 50%, again by 2050.
“By fully embracing energy conservation, efficiency and renewables, China has the potential to demonstrate to the world that economic growth is possible while sharply reducing the emissions that drive unhealthy air pollution and climate change,” explains Lunyan Lu with the World Wildlife Fund.
“This research shows that with strong political will, China can prosper while eliminating coal from its power mix within the next 30 years,” the specialist adds.