People ate breakfast by the light of smartphones and shopkeepers turned on generators as cities across China enforced power cuts Wednesday to meet official conservation targets and ease shortages in some areas.

News reports blame high coal prices they say make power companies reluctant to meet booming demand, while economists say the real motive is political: Officials are under pressure to curtail energy use to meet official targets.

In Shenyang, the northeast's most populous city, restaurant owner Li Yufeng used a battery from an electric bicycle to run a pot for noodles after seeing a notice power would be switched off at 7:30 am. Li said he started work two hours early, at 6 am, to prepare chicken, sauces and other dishes. There are some impacts, but not a big impact,&nbsp;said Li as customers ate by smartphone lights.

Factories in China's busiest manufacturing provinces have been ordered to suspend production for up to a week, prompting concern global supplies of smartphones and other goods might be disrupted. Now, urban neighbourhoods are being blacked out, triggering pleas on social media for the government to solve the problem.

China's power consumption is growing at almost double its usual rate, while the ruling Communist Party is trying to reduce energy intensity, or the amount used per unit of economic output.

The power cuts come as global leaders prepare to attend a UN environmental conference by video link on October 12-13 in the southwestern city of Kunming. That increases pressure on President Xi Jinping's government, as the meeting's host, to show it is sticking to emissions and energy efficiency targets.

The cuts are largely driven by energy consumption control measures, with power shortages affecting another few provinces,&nbsp;Lara Dong of IHS Markit said in an e-mail.

This is in line with China's decarbonisation ambitions, she said.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-edition-china-turns-off-traffic-lights-amid-power-crunch-416466/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Cabinet's planning agency warned in August that 20 regions had exceeded energy use and pollution targets after manufacturing rebounded from the pandemic. The government has ambitious plans to make the economy cleaner and more energy-efficient, so failing to meet those targets can be a career-ending blunder.

The power cuts could be more disruptive than previous shortages,&nbsp;Bank of America said in a report. Due to shortages in some areas, it said, "a relaxation of the government's energy consumption goals may not immediately alleviate the power crunch.

China is one of the world's biggest emitters of climate-changing industrial gases and consumes more energy per unit of economic output than developed countries. Given its huge population, on a per capita basis it ranks much lower.

China also is preparing for the Winter Olympics in the capital, Beijing, and the nearby city of Shijiazhuang in February, a period when it will want clear blue skies.

Officials in Jiangsu province, a manufacturing hub northwest of Shanghai, told state media some cities there have used up 90 per cent of this year's quota for power use. The officials of the provincial planning agency were cited as saying individual city governments had to decide how to meet their targets.

The government of Guangdong province, China's biggest manufacturing centre, has cited both official energy use limits and low water levels in hydropower reservoirs that provide a big share of its electricity.

In Liaoning province, where Shenyang is the capital, the government said in a statement Sunday that power demand hit a record high in the first eight months of the year. It said Liaoning has suffered shortages since then due to a decline in wind power and other sources.

The government of neighbouring Jilin province blamed a shortage of coal. It said in a statement Monday its governor would visit miners in nearby Inner Mongolia to line up additional supplies.

Some advance warnings of power cuts to residents in Shenyang and other cities cited a need to ration power but didn't say why. 
Li, the noodle restaurant owner, showed a reporter a notice circulated on social media that said power would be out in his neighbourhood from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. 
Shopkeeper Yang Chang had a generator running on the sidewalk to keep freezers full of meat cold.

As long as there is electricity we can sell things, unlike restaurants that need water, said Yang. Yang didn't know or care what the reason for the power outage was but said, it's understandable. I was born in the '90s. When I was little, electricity wasn't stable,&nbsp;said Yan. Although we are having difficulties, the government will find a solution. 
&nbsp;

People ate breakfast by the light of smartphones and shopkeepers turned on generators as cities across China enforced power cuts Wednesday to meet official conservation targets and ease shortages in some areas.

People ate breakfast by the light of smartphones and shopkeepers turned on generators as cities across China enforced power cuts Wednesday to meet official conservation targets and ease shortages in some areas. News reports blame high coal prices they say make power companies reluctant to meet booming demand, while economists say the real motive is political: Officials are under pressure to curtail energy use to meet official targets. In Shenyang, the northeast's most populous city, restaurant owner Li Yufeng used a battery from an electric bicycle to run a pot for noodles after seeing a notice power would be switched off at 7:30 am. Li said he started work two hours early, at 6 am, to prepare chicken, sauces and other dishes. There are some impacts, but not a big impact, said Li as customers ate by smartphone lights. Factories in China's busiest manufacturing provinces have been ordered to suspend production for up to a week, prompting concern global supplies of smartphones and other goods might be disrupted. Now, urban neighbourhoods are being blacked out, triggering pleas on social media for the government to solve the problem. China's power consumption is growing at almost double its usual rate, while the ruling Communist Party is trying to reduce energy intensity, or the amount used per unit of economic output. The power cuts come as global leaders prepare to attend a UN environmental conference by video link on October 12-13 in the southwestern city of Kunming. That increases pressure on President Xi Jinping's government, as the meeting's host, to show it is sticking to emissions and energy efficiency targets. The cuts are largely driven by energy consumption control measures, with power shortages affecting another few provinces, Lara Dong of IHS Markit said in an e-mail. This is in line with China's decarbonisation ambitions, she said. Watch The Cabinet's planning agency warned in August that 20 regions had exceeded energy use and pollution targets after manufacturing rebounded from the pandemic. The government has ambitious plans to make the economy cleaner and more energy-efficient, so failing to meet those targets can be a career-ending blunder. The power cuts could be more disruptive than previous shortages, Bank of America said in a report. Due to shortages in some areas, it said, "a relaxation of the government's energy consumption goals may not immediately alleviate the power crunch. China is one of the world's biggest emitters of climate-changing industrial gases and consumes more energy per unit of economic output than developed countries. Given its huge population, on a per capita basis it ranks much lower. China also is preparing for the Winter Olympics in the capital, Beijing, and the nearby city of Shijiazhuang in February, a period when it will want clear blue skies. Officials in Jiangsu province, a manufacturing hub northwest of Shanghai, told state media some cities there have used up 90 per cent of this year's quota for power use. The officials of the provincial planning agency were cited as saying individual city governments had to decide how to meet their targets. The government of Guangdong province, China's biggest manufacturing centre, has cited both official energy use limits and low water levels in hydropower reservoirs that provide a big share of its electricity. In Liaoning province, where Shenyang is the capital, the government said in a statement Sunday that power demand hit a record high in the first eight months of the year. It said Liaoning has suffered shortages since then due to a decline in wind power and other sources. The government of neighbouring Jilin province blamed a shortage of coal. It said in a statement Monday its governor would visit miners in nearby Inner Mongolia to line up additional supplies. Some advance warnings of power cuts to residents in Shenyang and other cities cited a need to ration power but didn't say why. Li, the noodle restaurant owner, showed a reporter a notice circulated on social media that said power would be out in his neighbourhood from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. Shopkeeper Yang Chang had a generator running on the sidewalk to keep freezers full of meat cold. As long as there is electricity we can sell things, unlike restaurants that need water, said Yang. Yang didn't know or care what the reason for the power outage was but said, it's understandable. I was born in the '90s. When I was little, electricity wasn't stable, said Yan. Although we are having difficulties, the government will find a solution.

Electricity crisis: Chinese switch to flashlights, generators to meet emission targets & ease coal shortages

Australia's conservative prime minister rejected growing calls Tuesday to adopt more&nbsp;ambitious&nbsp;emissions&nbsp;targets,&nbsp;insisting the country was doing enough to tackle <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/climate-change">climate change</a>.

Hours after a landmark UN climate report warned catastrophic global warming is occurring far more quickly than previously forecast, Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled he would not adopt a net-zero target.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sustainable-development-report-ranks-australia-last-on-climate-action-395157">Sustainable development report ranks Australia last on climate action</a>

"Australia&nbsp;is doing its part," Morrison said. "I won't be signing a blank cheque on behalf of Australians to&nbsp;targets&nbsp;without plans."

Australia&nbsp;is at the forefront of the global climate crisis, as one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters and the victim of multiple climate-worsened disasters.

In recent years, the country has suffered intense droughts, the largest bushfires in its recorded history, floods and coastal erosion among other disasters.

But ahead of a major climate summit later this year, Morrison has rejected calls -- including from allies such as the United States,&nbsp;to adopt a formal target for reducing or offsetting carbon&nbsp;emissions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australias-greta-thunberg-steps-up-climate-change-activism-388693">'Australia's Greta Thunberg' steps up climate change activism</a>

Australia&nbsp;has suggested it will achieve net-zero carbon&nbsp;emissions&nbsp;"as soon as possible", and preferably by 2050, but has not made any commitments to do so.

Instead, Morrison sought to deflect focus onto developing countries and the need for new technology, which he said was key to solving the crisis.

"We need to take a different approach. We need to focus on the technological breakthroughs that are necessary to change the world, and how we operate," Morrison said.

Many politicians within Morrison's conservative coalition with close ties to the coal industry have denied climate change is happening or sought to play down the risks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/climate-report-must-be-death-knell-for-fossil-fuels-un-chief-404307">Climate report must be 'death knell' for fossil fuels: UN chief</a>

Senator Matthew Canavan described the latest UN climate report as "fear porn" and said the panel that drafted it was always warning "the sky is falling in, and it never does".

The prime minister once brought a lump of coal onto the floor of parliament, urging people not to be scared of it.&nbsp;

His Liberal Party and&nbsp;Australia's opposition Labour party both support continued coal mining, despite global investment in the sector drying up and importers shifting to cleaner fuels.

Australia&nbsp;has one of the highest rates of&nbsp;emissions&nbsp;per capita in the rich world and is among the world's largest exporters of coal and natural gas.

It faces mounting political and economic pressure to act.

Both the United States and the European Union are moving toward imposing carbon import tariffs that could effectively sanction&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;and other countries shirking measures to tackle climate change.

One of the UN panel's authors, Mark Howden of Australian National University, said the Pacific region would be one of the worst affected by projected warming.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/this-is-code-red-for-humanity-warns-un-climate-report-404384/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"If we don't start to reduce our&nbsp;emissions&nbsp;significantly before 2050, the world is extremely likely to exceed two degrees Celsius of warming during the 21st century," he said.

"Global temperature rises will have serious impacts across the Pacific region. This includes dramatic and devastating sea level rise."

Australia's conservative prime minister rejected growing calls Tuesday to adopt more ambitious emissions targets, insisting the country was doing enough to tackle climate change.

Australia's conservative prime minister rejected growing calls Tuesday to adopt more ambitious emissions targets, insisting the country was doing enough to tackle climate change. Hours after a landmark UN climate report warned catastrophic global warming is occurring far more quickly than previously forecast, Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled he would not adopt a net-zero target. Also read | Sustainable development report ranks Australia last on climate action "Australia is doing its part," Morrison said. "I won't be signing a blank cheque on behalf of Australians to targets without plans." Australia is at the forefront of the global climate crisis, as one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters and the victim of multiple climate-worsened disasters. In recent years, the country has suffered intense droughts, the largest bushfires in its recorded history, floods and coastal erosion among other disasters. But ahead of a major climate summit later this year, Morrison has rejected calls -- including from allies such as the United States, to adopt a formal target for reducing or offsetting carbon emissions. Also read | 'Australia's Greta Thunberg' steps up climate change activism Australia has suggested it will achieve net-zero carbon emissions "as soon as possible", and preferably by 2050, but has not made any commitments to do so. Instead, Morrison sought to deflect focus onto developing countries and the need for new technology, which he said was key to solving the crisis. "We need to take a different approach. We need to focus on the technological breakthroughs that are necessary to change the world, and how we operate," Morrison said. Many politicians within Morrison's conservative coalition with close ties to the coal industry have denied climate change is happening or sought to play down the risks. Also read | Climate report must be 'death knell' for fossil fuels: UN chief Senator Matthew Canavan described the latest UN climate report as "fear porn" and said the panel that drafted it was always warning "the sky is falling in, and it never does". The prime minister once brought a lump of coal onto the floor of parliament, urging people not to be scared of it. His Liberal Party and Australia's opposition Labour party both support continued coal mining, despite global investment in the sector drying up and importers shifting to cleaner fuels. Australia has one of the highest rates of emissions per capita in the rich world and is among the world's largest exporters of coal and natural gas. It faces mounting political and economic pressure to act. Both the United States and the European Union are moving toward imposing carbon import tariffs that could effectively sanction Australia and other countries shirking measures to tackle climate change. One of the UN panel's authors, Mark Howden of Australian National University, said the Pacific region would be one of the worst affected by projected warming. "If we don't start to reduce our emissions significantly before 2050, the world is extremely likely to exceed two degrees Celsius of warming during the 21st century," he said. "Global temperature rises will have serious impacts across the Pacific region. This includes dramatic and devastating sea level rise."

'Won't be signing blank cheque': Australia rejects emissions targets despite damning UN report

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