OVER a year ago, China declared to the world that it would strive to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Behind this solemn commitment, a wide-ranging and profound economic and social transformation has taken shape.

Various levels of government are adopting low-carbon policies tailored to local conditions and industries are exploring their own green development paths, making concerted efforts to achieve the ambitious goals.

It was a freezing midwinter day in Xi’an, capital of northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province. Zhao Haiyan, 45, wore just a T-shirt and shorts at her home in Lintong, a suburban district of Xi’an as the temperature indoors reached 26 degrees Celsius.

Zhao lives in an affordable housing community of more than 400 households, which is equipped with Lintong’s first zero-carbon and zero-emission clean energy heating project and the first “geothermal+” new energy heating project. Residents were able to enjoy warm green winters as soon as they moved in back in 2018.

Home to the world-renowned terra-cotta warriors, Lintong and the surrounding area have rich geothermal resources. The geothermal heating technology applied in Zhao’s community has been updated to prevent any polluting of underground water reserves, said Wang Chao, director of the Lintong New Area Management Committee.

Statistics from Shaanxi’s provincial government show that more than 100,000 households in its central plain area have enjoyed green and clean heating services, and the number is expected to reach at least 600,000 over the next few years, reducing the annual emission of carbon dioxide by 3.6 million tonnes than heating by burning coal.

Utilizing green energy has also brought additional financial benefits. “Based on the 70-square-km urban planning area of the Lintong New Area, comprehensive geothermal energy utilization is expected to create an annual income of about 8.7 billion yuan (US$1.37 billion),” said Wang.

A “Golden Triangle” of energy and chemical industries is located in the Muus Desert in northwestern China, which accounts for 47 percent of the country’s total fossil fuel reserves.

Thanks to years of sand control, photovoltaic power stations and windmills have sprung up in the desert over the years, and an electrical power system combining wind and solar energy has been established in the region.

Yulin City of Shaanxi Province is a core component of the triangle region.

According to data from State Grid Yulin Power Supply Co., as of Dec. 20, Yulin’s new energy on-grid power consumption totaled 20.2 billion kWh this year, up 37 percent over the same period last year, reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 15 million tons, sulfur dioxide by 10,100 tons, nitrogen oxides by 42,500 tons and dust by 4,900 tons.

The region is also making breakthroughs in the fields of carbon capture, energy storage and integrated emission management technology. The carbon dioxide capture and storage project constructed by Guohua Jinneng Co. of Guoneng Group is currently the largest post-combustion carbon dioxide capture project in China’s coal-fired power plants. It was put into operation in Jinjie Industrial Park of Yulin in June.

Meanwhile, China continues to export green and low-carbon technologies to the world.

(Xinhua)