Happy New Year China新年快乐!
The Lord Mayor’s Lecture, Mansion House (Dublin)February 15, 2016
“China and Climate Change:Getting Real About Renewable Energy”
Dr Eddie O’ConnorChief Executive, Mainstream Renewable Power
China – an island population
Han people arrived 5,000-10,000 years ago to highly productive land
Chinese civilization
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‘the Class
system is absent from the classroom’Confucius, 551 – 479 BC
Population growth
2nd century:58 million
14th century:200 million
18th century:400 million
21st century:1.4 billion
Interdependence permeates Chinese society
Homogeneous -Chinese population: 91.5% Han people
Meritocracy - a society governed by people selected according to merit
‘to manage to cross the river by feeling the stones’ - Deng Xiaoping
The Chinese way of learning is by doing
CO2 increase
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42% between 1990 - 2010
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Greenhouse gas increase: 36% between 1990 and 2014
The Paris Agreement: Keep rise in global temperature below 2° vs pre-industrial levels
CO2 concentrations
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels
1900 1990 2010600MMT 9,000MMT6,000MMT
Million Metric Tons (MMT)
17
195 countries
38,000representatives
Chinese growth
• Economy increased by a factor of 2 in last 6 years. • Largest economy in the world when measured in
Purchasing Power Parity.
China’s landmass
• 60% semi-desert
• Three great rivers
Yellow Yangtze Pearl
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Temperature rise in mountains:
6 times higher than plains below
Glaciers melting and retreating
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Global warming will effect irrigation
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Vegetables account for 39% of people’s food consumption
Threat of drought
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China’s temperature has already increased by 1.5°
Chinese pledge prior to COP21
Peak emission by 2030.
Curb carbon intensity between 60 and 65% below 2005 levels.
Carbon trading pilot schemes
Emissions Trading Scheme- launch date:
2017
Renewable energy plans:
15% by 202020% by 2025
China: World’s largest installer of wind and solar
120GW
1/3 of the world’s installed wind capacity
43GW solar
320GW hydro
Renewable energy predicted installations for China in 2016
1/3 of the world’s installed wind capacitypredicts installations for China in 2016:
20,000MW of wind15,000MW of solar
Ireland
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Total Installed capacity:
8,500MW
2015:Added 224MW / wind
Electric vehicles (EV’s)
Projected sales: 2016
China: 220,000 units
US: 180,000 units
Worldwide: 600,000 units
Cost effective storage systems
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Questions and Answers