China has unveiled plans to expand the production of green hydrogen, a zero-carbon fuel produced from renewable energy sources, as part of moves towards a greener economy.
China's reliance on coal and other fossil fuels currently makes it the world’s biggest polluter and using more hydrogen is part of a plan that will see it become carbon neutral by 2060.
Environmental groups are likely to be sceptical as China was one of the few countries, along with Russia, that swerved the declarations at the recent COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow.
Beijing said that by 2025 renewable energy will produce 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes of hydrogen each year, which will help reduce China’s carbon dioxide emissions by one to two million tonnes every year, according to the Xinhua news agency.
That will include having nearly 50,000 hydrogen-fuelled cars on the road by 2025, said the statement, which added that greenhouse gases emission is set to peak by 2030.
Currently, China produces 33mln tonnes of hydrogen a year, with 64% coming from hydrocarbons and the rest as by-products from industrial sectors.