Why it matters to the world if China delivers on its carbon targets

Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change and what is being done about it.

It has been well documented, most recently in last week's International Energy Agency report, that the world's governments have failed keeping up with their own climate change promises.

That is why as the globe prepares for the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, starting Oct. 31, analysts are watching whether the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China, is actually on track to meet its own climate objectives. 

It's pledged to have carbon dioxide emissions peak "around 2030" if not earlier, en route to net-zero emissions by 2060. 

Independent analysts I spoke to say it could happen: a combination of central government authority and a national commitment to technological change mean the country could actually succeed.

But with Beijing boosting coal production and juggling a number of challenges at home, that's far from certain. 

As the workshop to the world, China cranks out 28 percent of global greenhouse gases and many international analysts see the country's success as crucial to keeping the planet from overheating.