Steady Progress in Low-Carbon Development

Steady Progress in Low-Carbon Development

Chinas installed clean energy power generation capacity increased to 1.08 billion kW by the end of 2020， accounting for nearly half of the countrys total installed power generation capacity. Zhang Jianhua， head of National Energy Administration， announced the figure at a recent conference.

Non-fossil energy accounted for 15.9 percent of Chinas primary energy consumption in 2020， placing the country on par with the world average. At the same time， the share of coal in energy consumption dropped to 56.8 percent. China has been boosting green and low-carbon development， Zhang said. The intensity of carbon emissions was reduced by 48.4 percent from 2005 to 2020.

A report on national renewable energy development was recently released by China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute， in which it noted that Chinas electricity generation from renewable sources was more than 2.2 trillion kWh in 2020， accounting for nearly 30 percent of its total electricity production. Chinas average utilization rates of wind power and photovoltaic power generation in 2020 were 97 percent and 98 percent respectively. In major river basins， the water energy utilization rate was 97 percent.

Improvements in Bio-Diversity

The living conditions of Chinas rare and endangered species have seen notable improvements， the director of the Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Cui Shuhong announced at a 2021 press conference.

The populations of several rare and endangered species have gradually recovered. The numbers of Siberian tigers， Asian elephants， and crested ibises have been increasing rapidly， and the giant panda has already been removed from the list of endangered animals， with 1，800 of them now living in the wild.

Cui attributed such progress to several factors， including the countrys drive in establishing a relatively complete system of nature reserves， the many measures it has taken to conserve and restore bio-diversity， and its heightened fight against crimes involving wild animals.

Fight Against Terrorism Yields Fruits

China has broken up more than 1，900 violent terrorist gangs， arrested about 14，000 people involved in terrorist activities， and seized over 2，000 explosive devices since 2014. As a result， social stability has been effectively maintained， and the nation has seen no incident of violent terrorism for more than four years， the Ministry of Public Security said recently.

The National Leading Group for Counter-Terrorism launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on violent terrorist activities in 2014， and the vast majority of violent and terrorist activities were detected and dealt with before they occurred， said Liu Yunfeng， head of the ministrys counter-terrorism bureau.

In Chinas counter terrorist work since 2003， four terrorist organizations and 25 leaders of terrorist organizations have been identified. Among them was the East Turkestan Islamic Movement， which has planned and carried out hundreds of violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that have caused great losses in the region both in human and financial terms.

The State Council Information Office issued a white paper earlier this year titled “Respecting and Protecting the Rights of All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang.” In the paper， it stated that the infiltration of extremism has been effectively curbed， and the right to life of people of all ethnic groups has been fully protected in Xinjiang.