UN Climate Action Special Adviser: China’s role in clean energy revolution is indispensable

SFC Correspondent Zhou Rui From New York

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary this year, climate action has become one of its defining missions. From the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to the Paris Agreement, decades of multilateral cooperation have pushed clean energy to the center of global development.

“Over the past ten years, we have seen extraordinary progress,” said Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action. Global renewable energy capacity has surged nearly 300 percent, while electric vehicles now make up one in five new cars sold worldwide. Much of this momentum, Hart stressed, has been driven by China’s leadership in clean energy investment, electric vehicle production, and ambitious climate targets.

Yet challenges remain. Four-fifths of clean energy investment still flows to advanced economies and China, leaving many developing nations behind. Hart urged greater support for Africa, South Asia, and other regions, highlighting China’s experience as a model. Looking ahead to COP30 in Brazil, he called the coming decade “the decade of acceleration,” with China’s role central to keeping the world on track for a sustainable future.

SFC: This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN), how do you reflect the organization's legacy in advancing global climate action and what key milestones stand out to you?

Selwin Hart: This year we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Eighty years ago, climate change was not among the priorities of the organization. Back then, we knew little—if anything—about climate change. But over the last 30-plus years, the world has been able to come together to develop a multilateral framework: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also brought the global scientific community together to create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which even predates the UN Framework Convention. This led to a global consensus that climate change is real, man-made, caused by human activity, and has resulted in a series of global agreements.

First came the UN Framework Convention, followed by the Kyoto Protocol, and then the Paris Agreement 10 years ago, which identified key objectives. We are still off track in solving the climate crisis, but the United Nations has been instrumental in bringing countries, scientists, and the private sector together to confront it.

This year we celebrate both 80 years of the UN and 10 years of the Paris Agreement. Significant progress has been made in that time. A decade ago, the world was heading toward nearly 4 degrees Celsius of warming. Thanks to the Paris Agreement and the nationally determined contributions that countries submit, that figure has dropped to 2.6 degrees. While still far from the 1.5-degree goal, it shows that multilateralism can deliver, and that international cooperation is essential to solving global challenges like the climate crisis.

SFC: From your perspective as Special Advisor on Climate Action, what are the United Nations' top priorities right now for accelerating global decarbonization before 2030, and how does China fit into that strategy? 

Selwin Hart: The message is absolutely clear: we need rapid and sustained emission reductions now. We cannot wait until 2030.

Since the Paris Agreement was finalized 10 years ago, we have seen rapid acceleration in the growth of renewables and other clean energy technologies. Ten years ago, just over 150 gigawatts of clean energy were deployed globally. Last year alone, close to 600 gigawatts were deployed-a nearly 300 percent increase in a decade. That is astounding.

Ten years ago, less than one percent of all new cars sold globally were electric. Last year, it was 20 percent. The International Energy Agency estimates that this year, 25 percent of all new cars sold will be electric, most of them in China. China leads the world in the deployment of clean energy technologies, in the manufacturing and adoption of electric vehicles, and in investment in renewables. China has made a clear choice that clean energy is the future and has exceeded many of its own climate targets. Its role is indispensable. At the same time, we need to ensure that other developing countries are also part of this clean energy revolution.

SFC: How can China's experience be leveraged to accelerate the global renewable energy transition, especially for developing countries?

Selwin Hart: China serves as an inspiration to other developing countries. Three out of every four people globally live in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels, including in China. Many of these countries are redefining energy security—not as access to coal, oil, or gas, but as the ability to produce homegrown renewable energy. China has demonstrated this in practice.

However, since the Paris Agreement, four out of every five dollars invested in clean energy have gone to China and advanced economies. This is not China’s fault, but if we are to accelerate the transition, we must ensure the rest of the developing world—India, Brazil, Pakistan, small island states, African nations, and least developed countries—can also participate. Together, these countries represent two-thirds of the world’s population. 

Renewables can transform energy access. Today, 800 million people still lack electricity, 600 million of them in Africa. You cannot build coal or nuclear plants in every remote community, but you can install solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. This can provide electricity for the first time to the most remote villages on earth. The benefits of clean energy are enormous, but we need targeted investment and support to ensure developing countries are not left behind.

SFC: Besides taking the leadership in clear energy, China has also pledged climate finance to support developing countries through initiatives like the South-South Climate Cooperation Fund. So, how can such efforts be scaled and integrated into the UN's broader climate financial goals?

Selwin Hart: We are at a moment in time when solutions are readily available—not only for clean energy, but also for adaptation and resilience. Take early warning systems, for example, an area in which we have worked closely with China. Multi-hazard early warning systems save lives, protect property, and safeguard livelihoods. Every dollar invested in such systems can yield up to $12 in savings, and when they function properly, climate-related damages are reduced by 30 percent.

These systems are not costly and can be deployed widely. They require technology, but also effective communication plans in every community. If we can scale up these systems, we can save lives worldwide. China's support in clean energy, adaptation, resilience, and early warning systems must be integrated into a broader ecosystem of support—working with the UN, global climate funds, and multilateral development banks—so countries know they have the backing of a full network of partners for their climate priorities.

SFC: Looking ahead, how do you envision the evolution of China's partnership with the United Nations on climate action, probably over the next 5 to 10 years, particularly in accelerating progress toward the Paris Agreement?

Selwin Hart: Over the first 10 years of the Paris Agreement, we have learned a great deal. We have seen which solutions work and which do not. The next 10 years must be the decade of acceleration.

China has shown exponential growth in clean energy deployment in recent years. At the same time, its emissions have started to decline. COP30 in Brazil will be critical. Countries must table new and ambitious NDCs that demonstrate leadership, show the inevitability of the clean energy transition, and provide hope. These national plans are essential to signaling each country’s seriousness in accelerating the transition. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get the job done.

The last decade has proven it can be done with the right policies. China has provided an excellent roadmap. China’s dual carbon targets, announced five years ago, sparked a wave of innovation and acceleration. Now, over the next 10 years, we need to see that same exponential growth in clean energy deployment and in finance flowing to developing and emerging economies. The rest of the world must catch up.