The Guardian view on China and COP26: do not despair | Editorial

Despite Xi Jinping's absence in Glasgow, Beijing is taking the climate crisis seriously. It must still go much furtherAmong the 120 or so world leaders gathered in Glasgow for the Cop26 climate crisis talks, there has been one very conspicuous absence: Xi Jinping, president of by far the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, responsible for more than a quarter of all emissions. Mr Xi's decision to stay away is unsurprising; previously a frequent traveller, he has not left his country for 21 months, since the pandemic took hold. But the reduction of the Chinese leader's contribution to a written statement, making no new commitments, has highlighted concern about Beijing's recent decisions.The first is its announcement that it will build new coal-fired power plants, a response to extensive power cuts. Though experienced observers hope the medium-term impact will be less serious than it appears, it could imperil China's pledge to peak carbon emissions in 2030. The second is its national plan on greenhouse gas emissions, revealed last Thursday. While better than the 2015 plan, it offers little progress on its already declared ambitions and falls well short of the action needed to ensure global heating does not exceed 1.5C. And in Glasgow, China has (like India and Russia) declined to sign up to the new 80-country pact to cut methane emissions, although it has joined the agreement to halt deforestation over the next decade. Continue reading...