Recently, the International Department of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation ("China Green Development Council" and "Green Society") received a letter from Mr. Erik Solheim, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chairman of the International Alliance for Green Development of the "Belt and Road" and Senior Advisor of the World Resources Institute, sharing his views on whether China can become an environmental leader.
The International Department of the China Green Development Council is now compiling and publishing Mr. Solheim's wonderful views and enjoying them with the readers of the "Green Society Fusion Media".
My first visit to China was in 1984, when China was poorer than most of Africa. There are no private cars, no high-speed rail, only one subway line. When the reforms began, China ranked 177th on the list of countries measured by GDP per capita. At that time, Chinese were not yet aware of the profound changes in the future.
Now, China is one of the most modern countries on the planet, a leader in high technology, with a rapidly developing economy that will soon become a high-income country. China's battle against poverty has won a comprehensive victory. China has 40,000 kilometers of green high-speed rail, while the United States has zero.
With South Korea and Singapore taking off first, and Vietnam catching up, China, the world's most populous country, has achieved rapid economic development unprecedented in human history.
China and East Asia have actively responded to the greatest challenge of the 20th century – development. Is China equally important to the greatest challenge of the century – building an ecological civilization? I'm sure the answer is yes.
As we all know, China is a world leader in almost all the technologies that are critical to the green transition. Silicon Valley may still be ahead of China in specific high-tech sectors. But China is leading the way in promoting green technologies. Last year, China provided half of the world's solar energy. To date, China is the largest producer of wind energy and a world leader in green hydrogen. China runs 70% of high-speed rail on track, and 99% of electric buses run on China's roads. In 2020, China will account for 40% of the global electric vehicle market.
At the turn of the century, There was almost no subway system in China. Today, the Beijing and Shanghai subways are two of the largest in the world, with more than 35 Chinese cities running efficient, clean and inexpensive subway systems.
The Belt and Road Project provides a great opportunity for China to share its technology with other developing countries and provide green investment in all areas from solar energy to green railways. China halted all coal investment overseas, laying the groundwork for a massive green rush. In the West, if you want to participate in the competition, it is better to act early.
China is now not only a global leader in green technology, but also the best leader in green practices.
Take Shenzhen as an example. In 1980, the city of "Shenzhen" didn't even exist, it was just a fishing village. Now, Shenzhen is not only one of the most prosperous cities in the world, but also one of the greenest cities. It operates 16,000 electric buses, more than the world outside Of China. It also operates 20,000 electric taxis. There are electric trucks on construction sites. Shenzhen also has some of the world's largest green corridors, forming a line of defense against pollution and driving home prices soaring. Wetlands with key bird habitats are located in the heart of the city.
River clean-up efforts in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces have resulted in significant and record-setting water quality. In the past, due to unhealthy pollution, the river was named "Milk River"; now it is very tempting and clear. Locals can take a bath, kids can play, and retirees can go for a walk in the afternoon. The local tourism industry is growing rapidly.
A decade ago, Chinese cities were known for their poor air quality. Today, air pollution in Beijing or Shanghai is much lower than in many European cities, and only a fraction of the pollution in Indian cities. The decisive action of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has borne fruit.
At the recent Kunming Biodiversity Conference, China pledged to build a system of natural protected areas with national parks as the main body to protect key endangered species; announced that it would take the lead in funding the establishment of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund; and promised that from now until 2030, China's annual tree planting area will be equivalent to the area of Belgium.
China's ecological protection redline system is a global best practice for protecting nature. It provides a scientific way to protect green hotspots in densely populated areas such as the Pearl River Delta and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. For most countries, like my country Norway, it is easy to protect distant mountains. Our real challenge is to protect the places where nature is most threatened, close to the centers of human habitation.
China is already a global green leader, though the West may not yet fully understand this. But can China lead the world?
Green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, and China has made up its mind to quickly promote ecological civilization.
Still, China's leadership has encountered some difficulties. China does not have the most recent experience of global diplomatic leadership as the West. Unlike the West, China is not a missionary state. China is more like Frank Sinatra – "going my own way." Chinese are well aware that they, for thousands of years as a powerful, elite-ruled nation, are now organized in the form of the Chinese Communist Party and cannot be easily replicated globally. The strength and scale of Chinese culture and economy may deter partners.
But China is an indispensable partner of the West. Whatever Europe and the United States want to achieve – responding to the pandemic and peace, economic growth and trade, fighting climate change and saving Mother Earth – depends on a close partnership between China and the West.
We Westerners should spend more time improving our own system of government and less time criticizing other people's systems. Democratic systems of government in the West are challenged from within, not from competing systems.
In the next few years, there will definitely be friction between China and the West. But we need a geopolitics of shared prosperity and common action. Competition and cooperation must go hand in hand.
If a geopolitical community is built, China will be able to draw positive lessons from what we have achieved in the West. The world will learn from China and benefit from Chinese investment. The idea of global decoupling is a stupid and dangerous idea that will doom us all. Only cooperation will lead to win-win results.
For more content, please pay attention to "Green Convergence Media", "Green Convergence Media" is a media matrix composed of about 50 platforms, which aims to disseminate ecological civilization, promote green development, enhance the scientific quality of the public, protect biodiversity, cope with climate and public health crises, help achieve the goals of "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality", and then promote the construction of a community of life on earth.
(This article represents the author's own views)
Press +Compile/YJ Text/Erik Solheim Review/Linda
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