China's Shenzhen rolls out app to promote carbon cutting

China's southern boomtown Shenzhen has launched a smartphone application that displays information on carbon emissions to encourage residents to cut their carbon footprints.

In the application, residents can see how much carbon dioxide is emitted from the daily electricity their households consume. The data can be compared with the city's average to learn how much carbon emission is saved.

It also shows the accumulated carbon emissions they have helped avoid, as well as a ranking among users. Virtual badges are offered on the application to encourage carbon emission reduction.

It is expected that, in 2023, residents can authorize to put the carbon emission amount they have cut on China Emissions Exchange (Shenzhen) for trading. The gains can be used for exchanging gift cards or subway cards.

China aims to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The carbon drive extends to not only industrial emissions but also carbon footprint in people's daily lives.

Shenzhen is one of the pioneers in China in exploring mechanisms for carbon reduction and allowing carbon reduction to benefit more people. The city released a plan in November last year with the aim to engage more people to participate in and benefit from carbon reduction.

The households in Shenzhen use around 16 percent of the total electricity in the city of more than 17 million people. The daily average electricity usage of a household is 8 kWh, which translates to around 2.5 kg of CO2 emission. The annual average emission of a household can reach nearly 913 kg, which means that 50 trees would have to be planted a year to offset the CO2 emissions.