Join Hands to Tackle the Serious Challenge and Protect the Shared Home of Humanity - China’s actions on climate change

ON NOVEMBER 12, 2022
By Guest Contributor - Opinion


This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This week, representatives from around the world are in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC. Upholding “Together for Implementation”, the Conference highlights the issue of “loss and damage” to the concern of developing countries and aims to accelerate global climate action through emissions reduction, adaptation efforts and appropriate finance. It adds new momentum for parties to participate in climate governance, take concerted actions and address the pressing challenge – writes Cao Zhongming, Ambassador of China to Belgium.

China has been resolute in tackling climate change. It is pointed out in the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that adapting to and protecting nature is essential for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. The Report also stressed the need to prioritize ecological protection, conserve resources and use them efficiently, pursue green and low-carbon development, work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, and get actively involved in global governance in response to climate change. This speaks volume about China’s firm commitment to green development and harmony between human and nature.

China has been action-oriented in climate governance. China has announced that it will peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. It means that China, as a major developing country, will complete the most intensive carbon emissions reduction and realize carbon emissions peak and neutrality within the shortest time in the world. This is a solemn commitment made by a responsible major country to the international community. To achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, China has set up a state-level institution to lead the efforts, put in place a 1+N policy framework, and established the world’s largest carbon market for green house gases. Driven by scientific and technological innovation, China has pursued low-carbon development and stepped up energy conservation and emissions reduction. Between 2012 and 2021, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unite of GDP was reduced by around 34.4 percent, and energy consumption per unit of GDP fell by 26.4 percent, 1.4 billion tonnes of standard coal equivalent. China has also taken an constructive part in multilateral processes on climate change, actively participated in main-channel climate negotiations, and made historic contribution to reaching and implementing the Paris Agreement.

China has created green wonders. As has been noted by President Xi Jinping, lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Over the past decade, advocating a community of humanity and nature, China has made great efforts, sometimes painstaking, to improve the environment. The environment must be protected, even if it means slower economic growth. In the past almost ten years, China has contributed a quarter of the world’s newly added forest areas and put in place the world’s largest clean coal power system. China has made continued efforts to tackle desertification. Reversing the trend of desert encroachment, China has completed the UN’s goal of land degradation neutrality by 2030 ahead of schedule. If you have been to Beijing, you must have found that the clear sky has come back and the days of haze and sand storms are disappearing.

China has made solid efforts to promote green cooperation. Actively promoting cooperation in low-carbon economy, ecological protection, clean energy and other areas, China has become an important link in global industrial and supply chains for green and low-carbon sectors. As the top manufacturer of PV products and a major country in PV application in the world, China has provided over 70 percent of PV modules to the global market. The biggest demand for China’s PV products comes from Europe. With over US$16 billion of solar panels imported by EU countries from China in the first eight months of this year, China has made important contribution to Europe’s pursuant of energy transition and carbon neutrality. China has helped other developing countries to strengthen the capacity to promote green development and respond to climate change with every sincerity. Remote sensing satellite on climate in Africa, low-carbon pilot zones in Southeast Asia and energy efficient lighting in small island countries are examples of the tangible outcomes of South-South cooperation on climate change that China has carried out.

Climate change is a common challenge of humanity. It bears on the future of humankind and requires joint international efforts. From the UNFCCC of 1992 to the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, the international community has traveled an extraordinary journey of jointly tackling climate change over the past 30 years. Currently, it is particularly important to help developing countries to enhance the capacity to address climate change and step up mutual trust and concerted efforts between the North and South. In this process, it is necessary to increase mutual trust and cooperation on the basis of existing multilateral consensus. It is necessary to deliver on promises and strive for implementation based on national conditions. Developed countries, in particular, need to honor their historical responsibility and due international obligation on climate change. It is also necessary to advance green economic and social development and explore new approaches synergizing development and protection.

Belgium attaches great importance to participating in global climate governance. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo himself led the Belgian delegation to COP 27. China and Belgium have growing common understandings on climate change, and enjoy common interest and broad cooperation prospect in clean energy, circular economy, biodiversity protection and other areas. China will work with other countries to take more concrete actions to protect our mother planet. In the same vein, China will work with Belgium to further tap cooperation potential, benefit the two countries and peoples, and contribute together to responding to climate change and pursuing green development by humanity.