Green transition pledged by China

BEIJING, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily

China has pledged to deepen the ecological civilization system and advance the global environmental governance system, according to the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, which was held in Beijing last week.

The three-day meeting, themed Open, Inclusive and Innovative Cooperation to Build a Clean and Beautiful World, started on Oct 10 and was joined by some 400 people from home and abroad, including council members, experts and partners.

During the annual meeting, Liu Ning, an official from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced that the first installment of 50 million yuan ($7 million) from the Kunming Biodiversity Fund is expected to be utilized before the upcoming 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP16.

Liu explained that the funds will be primarily directed to supporting activities determined by COP15 and biodiversity-related projects decided upon during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.

"This is a commitment made by China. We hope to promote the successful implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework internationally through the participation of the entire society," Liu said.

Additionally, more topics revolving around green development were discussed among officials and experts during the three-day event.

Digital technology has become strategic support in generating climate risk models, subsequent planning and adaptation actions, advanced early warning systems and resources management, said Kevin Austin, deputy director of C40 - a global network of mayors in the world's leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis.

"In fact, China is already one step ahead. Back in August, the State Council of China has issued guidelines to ramp up green transition in all areas of economic and social development. This explicitly mentions the need of maintaining green transformation through digital technology," said Austin. He made the remarks during the thematic forum titled Digitalization-Greening for Climate Adaptation and Sustainability of Cities.

In China, some cities have delivered groundbreaking actions with the help of digital technology, Austin added.

Li Xiaojiang, CCICED special adviser and former president of the China Urban Planning and Design Research Institute, said at the forum that the adverse effects and risks brought by global climate change are increasingly affecting the sustainable development of cities.

"Cities, especially those with large populations, must be better prepared for threats brought by climate change, such as extreme weather events, the rise of sea levels, heat waves and drought. And such threats must be considered and dealt with during urban planning," Li said.

Meanwhile, at an open forum held on the sidelines of the annual general meeting, actions for countering climate change were highlighted.

Xie Zhenhua, China's former special envoy for climate change, has underscored the pivotal role of developing transformative low-carbon energy technologies. Xie said it provides a vital guarantee for the nation's success in green transition.

Held in Beijing, the forum is themed Technical Support and Rule of Law for Enhancing Co-control of Carbon Emissions, Pollution Reduction and Green Growth.

Stressing collaborative efforts toward carbon reduction, pollution control and green growth as the intrinsic requirements for achieving high-quality development, Xie noted outstanding achievements China has made in this regard. But he also expressed concern for challenges that may hinder the country in making progress.

For instance, China's installed capacity of wind and solar power accounted for more than half of the global total in 2023, Xie noted. In June, more than 4.3 million new energy vehicles were sold across the country and 605,000 ones were exported, increasing year-on-year by 35.1 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively.

Despite this progress, the proportion of heavy industries in China's industrial structure remains high and coal still dominates its energy consumption mix, he said.

At the forum themed Promoting Green Transformation and Contributing to the Global Climate Agenda, climate finance remained a major concern.

At the forum, Liu Zhenmin, China's special envoy for climate change, has urged the upcoming COP29 United Nations climate change conference to prioritize and address the concerns of developing nations, especially their demands for climate finance.

To maintain mutual trust in the global climate multilateral process, Liu said developed countries, aside from meeting their promises, should come up with more ambitious goals on climate finance for countries in the Global South.

COP29 should instill greater confidence and hope in the international community to address global climate issues and demonstrate that the international community has the means to drive global energy transition to success, Liu said.

"Only in this way, climate ambitions will not be reduced to mere rhetoric or tools for achieving other purposes," he stressed.

On top of that, experts and officials emphasized that efforts should paid in protecting marine ecosystems.

"Without global action, plastic production is set to almost double by 2040, with severe impacts on the environment and human health," Kristin Halvorsen, CCICED vice-chairperson, said at a sideline forum during the meeting.

Dou Shuhua, vice-chairman of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, detailed China's efforts in marine protection, citing significant improvements in marine environments.

He said that China has enacted and updated a series of laws and regulations related to marine protection, with more than 100 guidelines and scientific and technological standards issued to support laws and regulations.

In addition, topics revolving around support for developing countries in addressing environmental challenges and the role of the Belt and Road Initiative in contributing to sustainable development were discussed during the event.

Founded in 1992 as a high-level, nonprofit international advisory body consisting of leading figures and senior experts from both China and abroad, the CCICED provides annual policy recommendations to the Chinese government on the environment and development.

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SOURCE China Daily