Wang Shi, who has participated in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for the 14th consecutive year, is a unique "business card" of China at the climate conference.
In 2009, when Wang Shi first attended the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, there were only three people traveling with him, representing more than 100 Chinese enterprises. Thirteen years on, about 1 million Chinese enterprises represented by various Chinese associations, institutions and non-profit organizations attending the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt this year. This is not only a 10,000-fold increase in numbers, but also a significant increase in China's influence.
Wang Shi, founder of Vanke Group and founder of Avenue Climate Change Promotion Center, was interviewed at the China Corner of the Sharm El Sheikh Climate Change Conference. All pictures in this article are courtesy of Vanke Foundation
"This year's participation in the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, my deepest feeling is that it is lively, not only is the venue more lively than last year, but also the excitement of the China Corner is beyond imagination." Wang Shi, founder of Vanke Group, founder of the Avenue Climate Change Center (C Team) and chairman of the Vanke Foundation, said at an online conference held on November 14.
At present, COP27 has entered the second half, and the real game between countries has only begun. The climate conference comes at a time when mankind is facing many uncertainties such as military conflicts, energy crises, and inflation. "Human beings have been facing a lot of uncertainty today, "black swan", "gray rhino" events will always appear, but global climate change will bring disaster, this is no longer a doubt, everyone is very clear, so we must not hesitate to take action in the face of climate change. Wang Shi said in response to a question from The Paper (www.thepaper.cn).
The China Corner of the Sharm El Sheikh Climate Change Conference was crowded with visitors from all over the world, and various promotional materials and environmental souvenirs with Chinese elements were popular.
Tell the Chinese story well
"Face-to-face communication is very important, there will be chemistry after people meet, which first requires us to participate more in the conference and use the conference to tell Chinese stories." Wang Shi said at the opening of the press conference.
Wang Shi said that the atmosphere of the crowd who came to the China Pavilion during the conference was unprecedentedly warm. Whether it is a Chinese government delegation, non-governmental organizations, or side events organized by enterprises, the excitement is beyond imagination.
Having popularity is just the beginning, how to tell a good story, you need to think differently, not just "talk to yourself".
Wang Shi said, "The climate is warming, the glaciers are melting, everyone is worried that canal cities such as Venice and Amsterdam and many island countries will be the first to be affected, but few people know that Shanghai's total river length is about 30,000 kilometers, and Shanghai cannot be exempted from the threat of climate change." However, Shanghai has built a very smooth, very mature and very well-functioning canal network to ensure that Shanghai is safe and sound. Such Chinese stories often shock foreigners and brighten their eyes. ”
Wang Shi said his personal and obvious feeling is that from COP15 in 2009 to COP27 in 2022, China's influence has been rising. "People's attention to China is unprecedented. At this year's venue, I feel that in the face of the global concern about climate warming, China's influence and role are very great here. He said.
In addition, Wang Shi found that young Chinese people at climate change conferences have become increasingly active in recent years. This year's conference included not only Chinese mainland, but also young Chinese from places like Macau and Hong Kong. They come here not only to actively participate in various activities, but also to actively organize various side events and forums, "From the positive and lively attitude of young people, you can feel that this is the hope of China's future." ”
The cultural and creative scarf of the Forbidden City at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference is made from waste recycling.
Chinese enterprises actively participated
From a business perspective, what can be done to combat climate change?
"Climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity for any industry." Wang Shi said to The Paper.
Wang Shi further introduced, "For example, the epidemic has brought a lot of impact not only to traditional enterprises, but also to enterprises such as digital economy and information economy, but it has also become an opportunity for various economies to transform. In the face of climate change, enterprises must also transform to a green economy. Taking the carbon neutrality of the real estate industry as an example, we need to actively improve the energy-saving effect of the building, and at the same time improve the operational capacity of the building, including the use of energy-saving building materials, new electrical equipment, and the management of green power in the community, etc., which are combined to produce an effective green transformation and transformation for the traditional real estate industry. ”
At the conference, the Avenue Climate Change Promotion Center (C Team), Vanke Foundation, Beijing Entrepreneur Environmental Protection Foundation and China Enterprise Climate Action (CCCA) co-hosted a side event on the theme of "Gathering Enterprise Power for a Zero-Carbon Future", at which the "2022 Corporate Climate Action Case Book" was released.
Yang Peidan, director of the Avenue Climate Change Promotion Center, said: "This year, 27 very representative cases were selected from many collected cases, distributed in eight areas: manufacturing transformation, transportation structure adjustment, energy cleaning, building energy saving, waste treatment, green finance, public green life and sustainable consumption.
At this year's China Pavilion, 10 companies showcased their green products and technologies, as well as 8 young start-ups, all of which started their businesses in the field of environmental protection and sustainability. For example, a Chinese company known as "lighting up the last mile" has developed portable solar lanterns using solar technology to help solve the problem of no electricity in poor areas of the world, especially in Africa.
The twenty-seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 18 November. Participants hope to unite the efforts of governments, businesses and the public to translate commitments into action to slow down the rate of warming, increase climate finance, promote green development and jointly combat climate change.
Building on the outcomes of the previous session, COP27 will take action on a range of issues critical to addressing the climate emergency, including urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, and delivering on commitments to finance climate action in developing countries, with the aim of moving countries together to contribute to the goals of the landmark Paris Agreement.