Transition from fossil fuels to RE: Asian civil societies urge China to act swiftly

KARACHI: Civil society groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and India urged China to act swiftly in leading Asia’s just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE), especially as the region continues to lack access to electricity and suffers the brunt of the climate crisis.

Leaders of movements in Asia said China is in the best position to lead the transition of developing countries to a faster rate of fossil fuel phase out being the biggest producer and supplier of RE technologies in the world, particularly solar and wind, a statement of Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) stated on Saturday.

China is in a very vital and unique position to lead in Asia’s rapid and just transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy systems. It is after all the producer of more than 70% of the global supply of solar and wind technology and has contributed significantly to the reduction of the costs of these technologies. It also has one of the highest growth rates in the RE share of electricity mix.

It has vast financial resources that can be mobilized for investments for the just transition to renewables. At the same time it still has much to do by way of phasing out coal power in its domestic energy production. This points to a great need and potential for China to take a more active leadership role in the energy transition in Asia and globally, said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the regional alliance Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development.

Pius Ginting, coordinator of Action for Ecology & People’s Emancipation (AEER) in Indonesia, said “harmful fossil fuels must be rapidly phased out, but, renewables must be integrated into the energy mix and significant financing given to enable us to undertake the just transition. China’s investment in the nickel industry using coal power plants is about 9000 MW. This is harmful for Chinese and Indonesian workers.

Ian Rivera - coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice - urged China to “foster strategic partnerships with sub-national governments of developing countries to accelerate the development of RE projects and drive the country’s energy transition based on the Paris Agreement commitments.

Sharif Jamil - head of Waterkeepers Bangladesh, said “countries that are leading expansion of renewable energy technologies and have strong financing capacity, particularly China, should support in technology transfer and mobilizing low cost finance for the developing countries. Bangladesh has high potential, it is a place for China to rapidly scale up renewable energy finance and equipment. There should be more engagement at the bilateral level to facilitate smooth transition to sustainable power production and economic growth.”

“Renewable energy is not just a solution to the climate crisis. By converting untapped solar and wind energy resources into real, impactful projects, we can transform our energy systems to empower communities, drive economic growth and end our dependence on fossil fuels!,” said Badar Alam, chief executive officer of Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025