The
most significant legacy of U.S. President Obama's Clean Power Plan may not be in
what the program accomplishes in the United States, given delayed timelines for
implementation which undermine the plan's ambition. Instead, it may be the
influence that the Clean Power Plan has on China, the world's
largest emitter of greenhouse gases, as well as on global climate
talks.
The
Clean Power Plan was referenced significantly in a joint statement by U.S. President Obama and
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday,
during which China committed to a
number of significant actions regarding greenhouse gases and energy, with
notable actions in both the transportation and electricity sectors.
Chiefly,
the statement indicates that China will give grid priority to low-carbon energy
sources through a “green dispatch” system. The statement mentions renewable
energy, but does not state whether or not nuclear power will also be
included.
China
also plans to implement a national carbon trading system in 2017, covering
electricity, steel, cement and “other key industrial sectors”. This builds on
the nation's seven existing regional carbon trading systems, and in the
statement the use of carbon emissions standards for U.S. states as a default in
the Clean Power Plan was
also referenced.
A
number of other measures not specific to the power sector were announced,
including heavy vehicle efficiency standards for China to match U.S. standards.
Both nations have pledged methane and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) reduction plans,
as well as enhanced building efficiency mandates.
Additionally,
there is language which seem to address concerns that what is planned is
actually implemented, which is particularly timely given the recent scandal over
Volkswagen's cheating on emissions reporting. The announcement references an
“enhanced transparency system”.
The
two presidents say that they are building on a joint announcement from last
November, and are working towards the “low-carbon transformation of the global
economy”. But more than the past, they appear to be influenced by the near
future, with a prominent reference for a “common vision for a new global climate
agreement” to be concluded in Paris.
However,
in the United States it is not
the federal government which is leading the transformation of the electricity
sector, but California and other forward-thinking states, many of which are well
ahead of Clean Power Plan goals. Earlier this year Hawaii pledged to get 100% of its
electricity from renewable energy by 2045, and a few weeks ago California's legislature approved a mandate
for the state to get 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
Additionally, California Governor Jerry Brown is moving
buildings in the state capitol to 100% renewable energy.
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