On September 21, according to the Global Times, British Prime Minister Sunakor announced the postponement of key plans for energy conservation and emission reduction. On the same day, Home Secretary Brefmann said: "Britain cannot protect the planet by bankrupting its people. ”
For this irresponsible behavior of the United Kingdom, there is an international condemnation. But as early as 2010, when interviewed by CCTV, Academician Ding Zhongli refuted the so-called environmental protection claims of Western countries, and made a bold prediction in an interview again two years ago:
These promises of Western countries are "anti-aircraft artillery", you should not think that they will really reduce emissions. But let's see, China is righteous, because the Chinese Communist Party counts its words.
Why did Academician Ding Zhongli make such a prediction back then? How are the environmental protection of Western countries that are widely promoted internationally?
Emissions from the international community
On the eve of the UN Climate Summit, on 4 December 2020, then-Prime Minister Paulis Johnson announced to the international community a new emissions target for the UK: it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by the end of 2030 compared to 1990.
On September 20, 2023, British Prime Minister Sunako announced the postponement of some key environmental protection plans, and also postponed the ban on new fuel vehicles from the previous 2030 to five years, and only came into effect in 2035.
The original plan to "drastically phase out gas boilers" has also been postponed, and there are no longer restrictions on oil and gas extraction in the British North Sea.
After only three years, Britain has "changed", as Academician Ding Zhongli predicted: "Western countries' emission reduction is 'empty cannon', we do not expect Western countries to 'reduce emissions' at all." ”
If you can't do it, do what you can do – modify the date. On the surface, it seems to be for the people, and it still says things like "you can't bankrupt the countrymen", but in fact, the government has not done things properly.
For Western countries, such things are commonplace. The party policy seems to be fair, but in reality, the new officials do not care about the old accounts, and the words and promises made during their tenure do not count.
As early as the nineties of the last century, carbon emissions in Western countries had peaked. As a result, various energy-intensive industries were transferred to other countries, and Western countries began to say in the international community that other countries caused air pollution and should limit the normal development of other countries.
Not only words, but also practical actions, the development of various "climate agreements" to limit the development of other countries. Western countries call themselves "guardians of the earth" on environmental protection issues, but in actual actions, Western countries have always performed as loudly as their slogans.
After the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the small ideas of the Western world came up again. The international community has been fanclaming to sign a Paris Climate Agreement, negotiating, discussing, and tossing for a long time, and there is constant tussling between countries.
The opinions of countries around the "emission right" are very different, and it can be summarized as "developed countries want to turn the page on carbon emissions that have already passed, and share half of the future emission rights with developing countries in terms of the remaining emission space now".
The first developed countries have polluted the earth's atmosphere a lot, and now they want to compete for more share to squeeze the development space of developing countries.
While the developed West, with just over 1 billion people, demands a share of 44 percent of the world's emissions, the nearly 7 billion people left on the planet account for only 56 percent.
In the United States, for example, the per capita oil consumption of the United States is more than 30 times that of China, and three times that of the global per capita, not to mention compared with other more backward developing countries.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's consumption of clean energy such as hydropower, nuclear power, and solar power accounted for 25.9% of total energy consumption in 2022, an increase of 0.4 percentage points.
In China's Energy Development Report 2023, China's consumption of oil and gas, two traditional fossil energy sources, declined for the first time in nearly 20 years in 2022.
The Chinese government also has a clear plan for carbon emissions: "peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2023 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060". China is constantly optimizing its energy structure, increasing the proportion of clean energy, and contributing to the world.
Just as Academician Ding Zhongli said, China looks at the problem purely from the perspective of national development, but Western countries are different, and political parties in the Western world will not be like this.
Environmental protection in the shadow of politics
Britain's promises are like "one-off" speeches made by officials and parties when they are winning voters' support, just to win votes and raise prestige, and the world's air pollution? The political parties came up and fished out for two years, let them govern?
Before there was the United Kingdom "courageous" to break its own commitments, then Germany only took care of its own self-interest to increase the use of fossil energy. Germany is one of the most energy-consuming countries in the world, and after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, energy was limited and began to increase the use of fossil energy.
This has a serious negative impact on the "emission reduction" of carbon emissions advocated by the international community, and the chain effect such as "dominoes" will also begin, and it does not matter whether the energy crisis is real or not.
A succession of countries in the world began to increase carbon emissions, and they secretly emitted and made an excuse for themselves to be considered "good people" in emissions.
As the "big brother", after Trump, known as "Comrade Sichuan Jianguo", came to power, the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement non-stop, bluntly saying that reducing emissions harmed the economy, interests, industry and other aspects of the United States.
It will not only cause countless Americans to lose their jobs, but also hinder the development of the United States. It is really "high-sounding", and their intention not to reduce emissions has reached the point where everyone knows.
Is it because their state controls well? Absolutely not, judging by the facts, these so-called developed Western countries are simply not as "selfless" as they say.
According to relevant data, from 1760 to about 260 years, the world's total carbon emissions were as high as 15,800 tons. The United States accounted for the largest share, accounting for 25% of the total, reaching 400 billion tons.
The EU emits 3,530 tonnes, accounting for about 22% of the total, while China accounts for only 13% and emits only 2,080 tonnes. These Western countries, led by the United States, can soar to half of the world!
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Western countries attacked and sanctioned Russia, and Russia tightened its domestic energy supply to Europe through countermeasures, so that these countries faced an unprecedented energy crisis.
Not only are natural gas prices soaring in these Western countries, but resource shortages are urgently needed. In order to maintain people's livelihood, Western countries, which have criticized other countries internationally for "polluting the air", have restarted the coal power equipment that was previously turned off.
Last winter, people in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries even had to use firewood for cooking and heating.
This is the so-called "environmental protection" of Western countries, when it does not affect their own interests, everyone can talk about environmentalism, once it affects their own interests, there are other words.
Just like the "environmental girl" Greta Tongbaili, who is advocated by the Western world, she is a "puppet" under political interests, and is manipulated to attack China unjustifiably internationally.
Just like Western countries, they continue to make statements and appeals in the international community, but they do not see what effective and implementable actions they have been pursuing, but China, which has been denigrated by them, has been working hard to reduce emissions and contribute to the world.
The responsibility of individual States
In an interview with CCTV's "Face to Face" program in 2010, Academician Ding Zhongli and the host at the time debated "what is a fair emission reduction plan".
Academician Ding Zhongli believes that the "emission reduction plan" proposed by the climate change committee composed of the government is actually "a trap under the slogan of emission reduction".
This is the design of developed countries such as the West to obtain more future per capita emission rights than developing countries. The aim is to limit the economic growth and rapid development of developing countries, so that developed countries become more developed and developing countries more slowly.
However, the long-term development of the international community is not like the political gesture of Britain, nor the slander of radicals like Greta Tongbaili, nor the behavior of some countries saying one thing and doing another, nor is it the unreasonable hegemony of the United States.
The international community has agreed to achieve zero emissions by 2050, and Western countries' environmental pledges can be easily reversed, but China has never forgotten its goal of reducing emissions.
Sunakor said: "The British government cannot pass on the costs of environmental policy to the British people. "But the harm caused by carbon emissions is pervasive and affects everyone on the planet.
As a responsible major country, China has a significant international influence and should call for the cooperation of the entire international community to jointly solve international problems such as environmental protection emissions and climate change.
Climate change is a global climate change, energy conservation and emission reduction should not be just a slogan, those politicians in the country's political stage for only a few years, but life on the earth is a lifetime, which is closely related to anyone, but also related to the fate of all mankind.
Academician Ding Zhongli was sanctioned by the United States for telling the truth, but this sanction is glory in the eyes of the Chinese people! It is a true pillar of the country!