The conclusion of the 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is imminent. In dealing with the current grim climate and environmental situation in the world, the logic of diplomacy should give way to the logic of political economy. More important than diplomacy like COP27, governments and major companies around the world take concrete actions to actively promote the transformation of green industries and create new economic opportunities. In the context of future ecological civilization construction, economic development and ecological protection are no longer a pair of contradictions, but can promote each other.
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is coming to a close. The outcome of this conference will probably not disappoint anyone – because there were few expectations. At the diplomatic level, nothing should come of it. The gathering of political leaders, business and civil society representatives may indeed lead to some green business agreements and consensus coalitions, but these are not the result of diplomatic efforts.
Fortunately, however, the diplomatic process is not important, and environmental and climate issues have now changed from diplomatic to political economy. Compared with the actual actions taken by world leaders and large corporations, the failure of diplomacy to achieve results is already secondary.
President Xi Jinping's announcement last year that China would stop investing in new coal-fired power projects overseas was more important than the Glasgow Climate Conference (COP26). Lula, who was recently re-elected president of Brazil, has also said he will work to protect the Amazon rainforest, a commitment that is much more significant than COP27.
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Diplomacy like the climate conference is turning into a beautiful but ungrounded bubble. Last year in Glasgow, whether to "phase down coal" or "phase out coal" became a point of contention, with the conference dwelling over one wording over the practical aspects of the green transition. Some arrogant Westerners even harshly condemned India, saying that it was because India asked to change the wording that led to the "difficult birth" of the draft agreement of the conference; Yet they are ignoring the fact that the United States now emits 25 times more carbon per capita than India.
Therefore, the reason why we can remain optimistic about the future is not because of any diplomatic agreement, but because of a series of concrete political and economic measures. To be sure, countries are still too slow to move forward with environmental measures, but all major economies are now determined to take aggressive action. China is a world leader in green technologies and green transformation practices; US President Joe Biden recently pushed the US Congress to pass a $370 billion climate bill; The EU is using the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to advance the implementation of the European Green Deal and the EU Taxonomy to move towards energy independence based on renewable energy; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently launched a number of new solar energy development plans, and soon, India may become the world's second largest solar energy producer after China.
These win-win economic and ecological policies are the way to achieve global climate solutions. For the first time in history, mankind does not need to choose between economic development and ecological protection. The development of renewable energy allows us to move towards ecological civilisation, improve the well-being of our people and grow our economies, and at the same time let us treat the planet with greater humility.
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We have all the political solutions, all the technology, all the funding we need to tackle climate change, and the only thing that is needed now is to pool the political will to move forward firmly at a pace sufficient to address climate change. We should view climate change as an opportunity rather than a burden, as President Xi Jinping said: "Green water and gold mountains are gold and silver mountains."
China is a world leader in green technology. Last year, about 82 percent of solar panels and 70 percent of batteries were made in China. China sees green development as a path to the future that can make a significant contribution to the world's green market, while creating a green economy at home, expanding jobs and bringing prosperity. The rest of the world should take cues from China's success.
In India, for example, a startup called Ola recently built an electric scooter factory with 2,000 employees of young women with the slogan: "Tesla belongs to the West, Ola belongs to the world." They are confident that they will dominate the market in the future with environmentally friendly, low-cost products. This is exactly the spirit we need.
Norway, for example, saw nearly 90 percent of all new cars sold in the market last month being electric. Norway is also a world leader in electric ferries, thanks to the Norwegian government's policy of steering the market. Although Norway leads in terms of domestic market share, there is no doubt that China is the global leader in e-mobility in absolute terms. The examples of China and Norway show the world that anything is possible, big or small.
Afforestation and landscaping are also essential. At present, China is the world's largest afforestation country. The "green miracle" of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia and the beautiful forest of Saihanba in Hebei Province are shining examples that can be used as a reference for the world. Other parts of the world are also taking steps. In Indonesia, the country saw zero net deforestation last year thanks to government policies and a commitment by paper giants such as Singapore's Golden Eagle Group to build a "zero debris" supply chain. In Madhya Pradesh, India, the head of the local executive led by example by planting one tree a day as a sign to the state's 80 million residents to participate in the environmental movement. Brazil's incoming president, Lula, has long been an opponent of rainforestation and will continue to take firm environmental action.
The key to the green transition is a circular economy, where we still have a long way to go, but it is also a win-win opportunity for the world. A kilogram of e-waste contains more gold than a kilogram of natural gold mine. Vigorously developing the plastics, electronics and clothing recycling industry is a key opportunity for simultaneous economic and ecological improvement. China is introducing many policies to improve waste management and recycling efficiency. More importantly, the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Circular Economy, released last July, has laid out a blueprint for the development of a circular economy in China. The Plan requires that by 2025, the output rate of major resources in the country will increase by about 20% compared with 2020, and the energy consumption and water consumption per unit of GDP will be reduced by about 13.5% and 16% respectively compared with 2020. I believe we will see a huge change in the face of the circular economy.
Environmentalists say our planet is facing a triple environmental crisis of pollution, climate change and natural destruction – and they are right. But in order to find a solution, we must shift our focus from the diplomatic process to the political and economic programme. Although Bush won the Gulf War but lost the 1992 election, his opponent Clinton famously said, "The problem is the economy, stupid!" Clinton was right, and so was the response to the environmental crisis.
Image source: China Daily
Source: China Daily