Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 27 Title: Promoting Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Goals to Be Achieved as Scheduled: Interpreting the White Paper on China's Policies and Actions to Address Climate Change
Xinhua News Agency reporters Gao Jing and Zhou Yuan
Responding to climate change is related to the sustainable development of the Chinese nation and the future and destiny of mankind. On the 27th, the Information Office of the State Council issued a white paper entitled "China's Policies and Actions to Deal with Climate Change" and held a press conference to respond to hot issues in the field of climate change.
The carbon peak carbon neutral "1 +N" policy system is accelerating
At the press conference, Ye Min, vice minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced that in 2011, the Information Office of the State Council issued a white paper entitled "China's Policies and Actions to Address Climate Change (2011)", and since then, it has released an annual report on China's policies and actions to deal with climate change.
According to the white paper released this time, in recent years, China has placed climate change in a more prominent position in national governance, continuously improved the reduction of carbon emission intensity, continuously strengthened the target of independent contribution, and made the greatest efforts to improve its response to climate change and promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. At the same time, China is also actively involved in leading global climate governance.
Ye Min said that it is necessary to incorporate carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of ecological civilization construction, unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon high-quality development, unswervingly implement the national strategy of actively responding to climate change, promote the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals as scheduled, and continue to contribute to the response to global climate change.
He said that the "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on The Complete, Accurate and Comprehensive Implementation of the New Development Concept to Do a Good Job in Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" and the "Carbon Peaking Action Plan before 2030" were recently released, and the "1 + N" policy system for carbon peaking carbon neutrality is accelerating.
In the next step, it is necessary to decompose the binding target of 18% reduction in carbon intensity in the "14th Five-Year Plan" to be implemented at the local level; promote the implementation of the carbon peak action and promote the implementation of the "1 + N" policy system for carbon peaking carbon neutrality; comprehensively promote the work related to climate change and ecological environmental protection, and achieve synergy between pollution reduction and carbon reduction; continue to improve the national carbon market; strengthen the construction of relevant systems, and implement a system with carbon intensity control as the mainstay and carbon emission control as a supplement.
At the same time, it is necessary to promote the formation of a green and low-carbon production and lifestyle; improve the ability of urban and rural construction, agricultural production, infrastructure and other adaptations to climate change; continue to actively participate in international negotiations on climate change, promote the construction of a fair, reasonable, win-win global climate governance system, and continue to carry out South-South cooperation on climate change.
Effectively respond to risks and ensure safe carbon reduction
"In the future, to achieve sustainable economic and social development, clean and low-carbon development in the energy sector is particularly urgent." Sun Zhen, head of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at the press conference.
In recent years, China has vigorously promoted the adjustment and transformation and upgrading of the energy structure, the energy production structure has changed from coal-based to diversified, and the energy consumption structure has become increasingly low-carbon. In 2020, coal consumption as a proportion of total energy consumption has dropped from 72.4% in 2005 to 56.8%. At the same time, non-fossil energy accounts for 15.9% of energy consumption.
China proposes that by 2030, the proportion of non-fossil energy in primary energy consumption will reach about 25%, and the total installed capacity of wind power and solar power generation will reach more than 1.2 billion kilowatts; China will vigorously support the green and low-carbon development of energy in developing countries and will no longer build new overseas coal power projects。 This fully demonstrates China's determination and boldness to accelerate the adjustment of the energy structure and build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system.
Sun Zhen said that China will continue to control the growth of coal consumption, increase efforts to develop renewable energy, accelerate the improvement of the power system, and build a new power system that adapts to a high proportion of renewable energy. At the same time, as the world's largest manufacturer of clean energy equipment, China will help developing countries accelerate the transformation of energy supply in the direction of efficiency, cleanliness and diversification.
He pointed out that as a developing country, China is currently facing the tasks of developing the economy, improving people's livelihood, and maintaining energy security, and there are still many practical difficulties and challenges in adjusting the energy structure, which cannot be achieved overnight. It is necessary to adhere to the system concept, adhere to the risk prevention, handle the current and long-term relationship, handle the relationship between pollution reduction and carbon reduction and energy security, industrial chain supply security, and the normal life of the masses, effectively respond to the risks that may accompany the green and low-carbon transformation, and ensure safe carbon reduction.
Positive progress is expected in COP26
The twenty-sixth conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Glasgow, Uk.
Ye Min said that COP26 is the first conference of the Parties to be held after the Paris Agreement has entered the implementation stage, and China advocates that the conference should send a strong political signal to firmly uphold multilateralism and respect multilateral rules, and all parties should implement the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement and the institutional arrangement of "Nationally Determined Contribution", and contribute to the response to global climate change on the basis of respecting different national conditions.
He said: China looks forward to working with all parties to make progress at the conference. First, the General Assembly should actively promote the completion of the core remaining issues of the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which is the basis and prerequisite for the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement by all parties, and is also an important symbol of maintaining the trust of the international community in multilateral mechanisms.
Second, effective progress has been made in financial, technological and capacity-building support, which has long been of great concern to developing countries. These issues are about political trust and the real-world capacity of developing countries to take climate action.
The third is to highlight "implementation" at this conference. Actively advocate the effective implementation of the goals by all parties, translate the goals into policies, measures and concrete actions for implementation, and avoid turning the setting of goals or raising goals into empty slogans or differentiated accusations.
A number of developed countries are still pushing for further climate targets in the context of unmet commitments. "In this regard, all parties should recognize that climate targets that are not put into action are tantamount to castles in the air, and only through joint action can we effectively address the crises and challenges brought about by climate change by fully implementing the requirements and goals of the Paris Agreement." He said.