(Yicai Global) Aug. 2 -- Shanghai has picked some key areas such as Chongming district and Lingang New Area to feature in its master plan to reach its goal of peaked carbon emissions by 2030.

Chongming will have three green islands, including Chongming Carbon Neutral Island, Changxing Low Carbon Island, and Hengsha Zero Carbon Island, the municipal government disclosed recently.

Chongming currently has an installed capacity of more than 570,000 kilowatts of renewable energy, making up more than 30 percent of all electricity sold in the region.

The eastern megacity revealed its big environmental roadmap on July 28. That means Shanghai will decrease its carbon dioxide emission ratio by 70 percent per unit of regional gross domestic product by 2030 from the levels of 2005. The target was higher than expected as the national requirement is a 65 percent reduction.

The latest plan mentions Shanghai-based steel giant China Baowu Steel Group. Baowu aims to achieve its peak of carbon emissions by 2023, and improve its technologies to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2035. Carbon neutrality should be reached by 2050, a decade before the nation's goal.

Baowu's facility in Shanghai, which is China’s largest steel plant, will accelerate its transformation and explore new low-carbon innovations such as low-carbon metallurgy, green hydrogen, and carbon dioxide utilization.

The municipality also proposes promoting low-carbon transformation in key regions including Lingang New Area, Yangtze River Delta Eco-Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, Hongqiao International Hub, and five districts including Jiading, Qingpu, and Songjiang. These five districts that are turning into cities should have smart infrastructure, convenient public transportation systems, as well as beautiful low-carbon living environments.

Specifically, Lingang New Area should make more efforts to integrate research with emerging technologies and come up with new energy developments, adopt low-carbon transportation, and construct sponge cities. Sponge cities are urban green areas designed to absorb rain and prevent flooding.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi