BOAO, Hainan – Cleaner power sources should eventually dominate the global power mix, though fossil fuels will continue to be required, according to China’s top climate diplomat.

Governments globally need to massively scale up deployments of solar, wind and hydropower, and also be prepared to utilise dirtier fuels in a manner that limits their pollution, Mr Liu Zhenmin, China’s special envoy for climate change, said on March 27.

“We will still keep our fair share of fossil fuels, but they must be used in a clean way,” Mr Liu, who replaced veteran negotiator Xie Zhenhuain in 2024, told the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan, China. “I think that is critical.”

China leads the world in installations of renewables, though it burned record amounts of coal, oil and gas in 2023. The nation is also continuing to add coal-fired power capacity, even if officials insist the fleet will eventually act mainly as a back-up to its cleaner generation sources. 

Mr Liu’s predecessor Xie said told a Beijing conference in September that fossil fuels would remain essential to maintain grid stability and that completely abandoning the energy source is “unrealistic.” China aims to lift its use of technologies like carbon-capture technology, which is intended to curb pollution from the use of coal or gas. 

The world also needs to improve efforts to protect carbon sinks like wetlands, rain forests and oceans, Mr Liu told the forum. And while governments should spearhead climate action, companies and individuals also need to contribute by conserving energy and living low-carbon lifestyles, he said. BLOOMBERG