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Chapter 1
　　The Historical Context for Proposing the Energy Powerhouse Strategy
　　Today， the world is undergoing a profound energy transformation oriented toward green and low？carbon development. The urgency of global climate governance has become increasingly evident， and carbon neutrality has emerged as a global consensus， driving the world’s energy landscape to accelerate its transition toward cleaner， more diversified， and more intelligent systems.
　　Against this backdrop， China’s energy development faces both dual challenges and strategic opportunities: ensuring energy security while advancing a green transition. A deep understanding and accurate grasp of this historic juncture has led to the proposal of the “energy powerhouse” strategy， aimed at promoting the green transformation of China’s energy structure， achieving energy independence， and advancing high？quality energy development. This strategy carries profound strategic significance and represents a major task entrusted to us by our times.
　　1.1 Global Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality Goals
　　Global climate change has become one of the most severe challenges facing human society in the 21st century. Since the Industrial Revolution， the extensive use of fossil fuels has greatly promoted global economic and social development， but it has also led to a continuous rise in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations， resulting in a significant increase in global mean temperatures. According to the State of the Global Climate 2024 Report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO， 2025)， the pace of global warming has accelerated markedly over the past decade. The year 2024 may be the first calendar year in which global temperatures exceed pre？industrial levels by more than 1.5？°C， with the global mean near？surface temperature rising by (1.55±0.13)？°C above the 1，850？1，900 average. This makes 2024 the warmest year in the 175？year instrumental record. Such warming indicates that global temperatures in 2024 have surpassed the 1.5？°C control threshold set by the Paris Agreement. While this does not mean that the long？term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are unattainable， it does serve as a clear warning that the remaining margin for achieving temperature control targets is extremely limited.
　　The report notes that the long？term trend of global warming is almost entirely driven by the continuous increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. In 2024， the annual mean atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO？) reached 419？ppm (10？？)， approximately 50% higher than the pre？industrial level (about 278？ppm); methane (CH？) concentrations rose to 1，922？ppb (10？？)， nearly 2.6 times the pre？industrial level; and nitrous oxide (N？O) concentrations increased to 336？ppb， more than 25% above pre？industrial levels. All three major greenhouse gases reached the highest levels since systematic observations began. Their atmospheric lifetimes range from several decades to several centuries (with CO？ persisting for more than 300？years)， during which they continuously absorb outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface， intensifying the greenhouse effect and driving a persistent imbalance in the Earth’s climate system.
　　Climate monitoring data indicate that in 2024， thermal anomalies in the global climate system were widespread across almost all continents and oceanic regions. On land， many areas of Europe， North America， East Asia， the Middle East， and South America experienced record？breaking high temperatures， with annual mean temperatures in several European countries exceeding long？term averages by more than 2？°C. In the oceans， global mean sea surface temperatures have remained at record highs since March 2023， reaching 21.1？°C for the entirety of 2024—the highest level on record. The frequency and intensity of regional marine heatwaves in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean reached unprecedented levels， triggering large？scale coral bleaching and marine ecosystem degradation. Asia experienced extreme heat， heavy rainfall， and flooding， with China， India， Pakistan， and the Republic of Korea recording new summer temperature records. Europe was affected by multiple “heat dome” events， with temperatures in southern France， Spain， and Italy exceeding 45？°C for extended periods. Forest fires occurred frequently in North America and Australia; in Canada alone， burned forest areas exceeded 18？million hectares. Severe droughts driven by El Ni？o conditions affected the Horn of Africa and parts of South America， leading to concurrent reductions in crop yields and constraints on energy supply. The WMO report indicates that more than 500 major climate？related disaster events occurred globally in 2024， causing direct economic losses of approximately USD？380？billion.
　　Changes in glaciers and polar systems are equally alarming. In 2024， net ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets reached approximately 370？billion