China Climate Envoy Says Phasing Out Fossil Fuels ‘Unrealistic’

Phasing out fossil fuels completely is not a realistic goal, according to China’s climate envoy and the world’s top greenhouse emitter’s representative to the United Nations’ climate talks in November.

Fossil fuels are essential to maintain grid stability and energy security given the sometimes unreliable nature of renewables, Xie Zhenhua said, according to a video recording of a speech at a conference in Beijing.

“Completely phasing out fossil fuel is unrealistic,” Xie said. “We should build the new before discarding the old,” he said, calling for an understanding of the challenges faced by individual countries.

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