Shanghai Tower hosts zero-carbon conference

Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, hosted a zero-carbon conference on Thursday, reinforcing the city's growing focus on sustainability and its commitment to a low-carbon future.

The event marked the launch of the Shanghai Tower ESG Report, outlining its progress in environmental, social, and governance practices, and the Sustainable Development Forum. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact's ESG initiative.

As part of its sustainability efforts, the tower voluntarily offset the carbon emissions from the event, earning a carbon neutral certificate from the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange.

As the world's largest energy producer and consumer, China has set ambitious climate goals, including reaching carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. According to the China Energy Transformation white paper released in August, the country has accounted for over 40 percent of global renewable energy capacity additions in the past decade. The global share of non-fossil energy consumption has increased from 13.6 percent to 18.5 percent, with China contributing 45.2 percent of this growth.

At COP29 in November, Michal Meidan, head of China Energy Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, emphasized China's commitment to its net-zero goals. "This strong commitment will help sustain global momentum for the energy transition," she told Dragon TV.

Shanghai is playing a key role in China's green transformation. The city's Green and Low-Carbon Transformation Action Plan (2024-2027) sets ambitious targets, including transitioning public buses and taxis to electric vehicles by 2025 and boosting photovoltaic capacity to 4.5 million kilowatts by 2027. The plan also promotes the development of ultra-low-energy and zero-carbon buildings.

Shanghai Tower is at the forefront of these efforts, utilizing 43 energy-saving technologies to reduce carbon emissions by 15,000 tons annually. It is recognized as the world's tallest green building.

Beyond its own sustainability initiatives, the tower is promoting collaboration. At Thursday's event, it signed a partnership with CPIC Xintiandi Commercial Center to create a carbon-neutral exhibition hall, while also launching a green partnership initiative with tenants such as BNP Paribas and Nio.