"Green development" looks at carbon equality from the perspective of floods in Pakistan

Blue word attention "China Xiaokang Network"

Since June this year, many provinces in Pakistan have been hit by torrential rains, which have even triggered flood crises, which have had a serious impact on their domestic economy and people's livelihood. According to statistics, Pakistan's catastrophic floods killed 1,500 people, completely submerged one-third of the land by historic floods, destroyed at least 4 million acres of farmland, destroyed 70% of crops, and estimated property damage of up to $30 billion. The sudden catastrophe has exacerbated Pakistan's already unspeakably optimistic economic situation. Recently, Pakistani officials have lowered their growth forecast for the current fiscal year, that is, July 2022 to June 2023, from 5% to 2.3%.

As stated in the Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, released by Xinhua News Agency on November 2, the recent floods in Pakistan are closely linked to the adverse effects of climate change.

"Everyone is born with equal carbon rights, equal carbon emission rights and carbon responsibilities." Zhou Jinfeng, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (hereinafter referred to as China Green Development Council), is highly concerned about the flood disaster in Pakistan, and said in an exclusive interview with the reporter of "Xiaokang" magazine and China Xiaokang Network that in order to help Pakistani friends get out of difficulties, enhance people's understanding of the climate change crisis, provide sustainable solutions, and promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, China Green Development Association is planning to hold a charity auction with the theme of "Solidarity with Pakistan • Friendship lasts for a long time". Bringing together the forces of love from all walks of life to support the people of Pakistan through this difficult time.

All people are born with equal carbon emissions, equal carbon emission rights and carbon responsibilities

Climate change has always been an important issue for the China Green Development Council. Recently, the International Department of the China Green Development Association received an email from Jeffrey D. Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, sharing an article he published on September 13, 2022, in Project Syndicate, a Western think tank, entitled "Pakistan and the Fight for Climate Justice." This caused Zhou Jinfeng to think further about the flood disaster in Pakistan.

"It can be clearly said that the floods in Pakistan are linked to human-induced climate change. Because warmer air holds more moisture, higher temperatures usually mean heavier monsoons. While the monsoon has a natural year-to-year variation, the probability distribution is shifting towards greater rainfall. Himalayan glaciers melting due to rising temperatures can also lead to increased flooding, as can land-use changes, including deforestation and poorly designed infrastructure. "In his letter, Jeffrey Sachs stressed that the world's rich countries are like polluting factories that deprive Pakistan of the long-term climatic conditions on which Pakistan's economy, homes, farms and infrastructure are built." If there were a global climate tribunal, the Pakistani government would have every reason to sue the United States and other high-income countries for failing to limit climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. ”

In Jeffrey Sachs's view, rich countries should bear their fair share of the attributable costs of adaptation, emergency response, and recovery for countries that suffer from climate catastrophe and have little "contribution" to today's catastrophe. Rich and powerful countries often deny their historical responsibility to decarbonize their energy systems and to manage their lands and ecosystems responsibly and sustainably. "However, developing countries will not forget the leading role played by rich countries in creating today's worldwide climate catastrophe. As climate-related losses increase rapidly, the global demand for climate justice will only increase. ”

"The floods in Pakistan are a product of climate change, and the industrial civilization development of developed countries over the past 100 years is the main producer and contributor of greenhouse gases today." Zhou strongly agrees with Jeffrey Sachs on climate justice. However, he also made it clear, "The climate justice I want to emphasize is 'all people are born with equal carbon rights, equal carbon rights and carbon responsibilities.'" ’”

Flooding A man wades through water in Karachi, Pakistan, on July 11. Source: HelloRF

Specifically how to define carbon responsibility, Zhou Jinfeng believes that the current popular carbon consumption algorithm dominated by Western countries in the world needs to be further improved. "A popular algorithm is to divide a country's total carbon emissions by the country's total population to get the country's per capita carbon emissions. But in my opinion, this algorithm is problematic, it should not be the total carbon emissions produced by the country, but the total amount of carbon it consumes. For example, if a country produces a large amount of carbon consumption and carbon emissions due to the production of home appliances, clothing, toys, etc., and these products are eventually exported to other countries, then these carbon consumption carbon emissions should not be counted on the people of the country that produce these products, but should be recorded on the people who consume these imported products. ”

"At the root of this, consumer demand is the driving force, and change should be based on this." In Zhou's view, "people-centered solutions (HbS)" are the ultimate solution. Even using energy that seems relatively clean today generates a lot of carbon emissions, so we must change our consumption habits and lifestyles, and be clear about our principle that all people are born carbon equal, equal carbon rights and carbon responsibilities.

Everyone should be an actor in tackling the climate crisis

Not only the floods in Pakistan, but similar extreme weather and climate events have occurred frequently around the world in recent years with the continuation of global warming. On October 27, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment held a regular press conference, and Li Gao, director of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced the mainland's work on climate change, and made it clear that in general, in recent years, in the context of global climate change, the mainland has also shown a trend of increasing and strengthening extreme weather and climate events. Heavy rainfall, floods, high temperatures, droughts, low temperatures, etc. have the characteristics of strong extremes, obvious regional phases, frequent and frequent abnormal situations, and the scope of impact and losses caused by further increase, which puts forward higher requirements for enhancing the ability to adapt to climate change.

How to deal with it? In the 2022 Annual Report on China's Policies and Actions to Address Climate Change released at the press conference on the same day, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment clearly stated the mainland's basic position and proposition on the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as COP27), that is, China is willing to fully support the Egyptian presidency of COP27 to host a successful COP, and looks forward to working with all parties to build COP27 into a COP27 with "implementation" as the theme, "adaptation" and "finance" A conference for the highlights of the outcome.

Truly effective climate change depends on action. What can we do from a civil perspective to uphold climate justice?

"All people on the planet today should make lifestyle changes to improve their lives while reducing our carbon emissions as much as possible. When I emphasize in China that 'all people are born with equal carbon emissions, equal carbon rights and carbon responsibilities', I am actually trying to mobilize everyone, especially young people, to change our way of life and reduce carbon emissions by saving food, sustainable recycling of used clothes, and saving water and electricity." Zhou Jinfeng bluntly said that although our country's per capita carbon emissions are not high, each of us should be responsible for Pakistan's carbon crisis. We should actively make changes and participate in the rescue of the global climate crisis. "This is the most important conceptual issue for humanity to overcome the carbon crisis today, and the most important thing we do in terms of carbon equity and climate justice."

When discussing the climate crisis internationally, people are more hopeful about new technologies and revolutions in the field of energy and transportation materials, which is undoubtedly very important and right. But that's not enough. Zhou Jinfeng analyzed that we need to think and act more from the consumption side. For example, do not waste food, such as winter heating does not pursue too high temperature, summer air conditioning and refrigeration does not pursue too low temperature, reduce the use of plastic bags, avoid excessive packaging of mooncakes and other foods, and so on. "These things are small, but they can lead to massive energy savings."

It is reported that the charity auction "Solidarity with Pakistan • Friendship for a Long Time" jointly sponsored by the China Green Development Association and the Pakistani Embassy in China, in addition to auctioning the works of Chinese and Pakistani artists, young calligraphy and painting, and signed souvenirs of sports champions will be auctioned through online auction and on-site auction to provide financial and material assistance for Pakistan's post-disaster reconstruction, and will also invite people from all walks of life to conduct dialogues around "climate change and green development". Discuss how climate change can be used as an important starting point for promoting ecological civilization and sustainable development.

"Through our activities, we must mobilize more people in society to actively participate in fulfilling our carbon responsibilities and thus participate in the challenge of addressing the climate crisis. Only in this way will it be possible to resolve this crisis and to reduce such a catastrophe. Zhou Jinfeng emphasized.

Author: Liu Yanhua, reporter of "Xiaokang" China Xiaokang Network

Production: Wang Na

Proofreader: Li Xuying

Reviewed: Gong Zimo