Yantai goes all out in building zero-carbon island in Changdao

The picture shows a view of Changdao Island. [Photo/WeChat account: yantaifabu]

Yantai in East China's Shandong province will promote the high-quality development of into an international zero-carbon island by 2035, aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the region, according to information recently released the Changdao Island International Zero-Carbon Island Development Plan (2023-35).

Changdao Island is located within the jurisdiction of Yantai and is a national forest park as well as nature reserve, endowed with plentiful forests and marine resources.

The Yantai municipal government officially issued the Changdao Island International Zero-Carbon Island Development Plan (2023-35) on Feb 9, which is based on the development and protection of Changdao Island's land, sea areas, and coastal zones. It proposes three-stage objectives, four major spatial layouts, and six key tasks.

According to the development plan, by 2030, the leading industries, represented by ecological fisheries and eco-tourism, will have taken shape, stabilizing economic growth while decoupling it from carbon emissions, and by 2035, a high-quality international zero-carbon island will be fully established, achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

The six key tasks mainly include creating a leading domestic zero-carbon "blue granary" as a model for Changdao Island and establishing a distinct, globally-influential world-class zero-carbon tourism destination in an effort to promote comprehensive green transformation in areas such as transportation, construction, and daily life.

Qin Song, the director of the Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that by 2035, Changdao Island's land-sea coordinated carbon sequestration and carbon sink capacity is expected to reach 131,100 metric tons, which is of great significance for achieving the goal of constructing the island into an international zero-carbon island and promoting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire region.

Qin also mentioned that the enhancement of Changdao Island's marine carbon sink project is closely related to the construction of a "blue granary", which can not only increase carbon sequestration but also enhance biodiversity, purify water quality, nurture fishery resources, provide natural bait, and achieve synergistic carbon sequestration and economic development.