This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the people's republic of China to its legitimate seat in the United Nations.
Climate change is nature's wake-up call to humanity. The international community continues to promote global environmental governance and jointly discuss ways to address the challenges of climate change. As a participant, contributor and leader in the construction of global ecological civilization, China actively promotes global cooperation on climate change, promotes the conclusion of the Paris Agreement on climate change, fully implements the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, vigorously promotes the construction of the green "Belt and Road", deeply participates in global ecological environment governance, forges ahead for building a clean and beautiful world, and injects strong impetus into the process of promoting global climate governance.
Actively participate in and lead global climate governance
In the early morning of December 12, 2015, at the Bourget Exhibition Center in France.
After some 36 hours of intense negotiations, the landmark Paris Agreement was unveiled as the green hammer bearing the climate conference logo fell. Following the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, mankind has ushered in the third international legal text in history to deal with climate change, and global climate governance has opened a new stage.
At the opening ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, China called on all parties to show sincerity, strengthen confidence and make concerted efforts to work together to build a win-win, fair and reasonable climate change governance mechanism.
At the meeting, China communicated closely with major developed economies such as the United States and the European Union to coordinate key policy positions, and strengthened solidarity and cooperation among developing countries through negotiating groups such as the Basic Four Countries, developing countries with similar positions, and the Group of 77 + China. In the end, the Paris Agreement, which covers 29 articles including objectives, mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, finance, technology, capacity building, and transparency, will provide important guidelines for the global response to climate change after 2020.
"Without China's active support, the Paris Agreement would not have been possible." Fabius, former Foreign Minister of France and then President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, stressed.
From initiating the G20 to issue the first presidential statement on climate change to taking the lead in signing the Paris Agreement, from working with all parties to complete the negotiations on the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement to implementing commitments in advance, China upholds the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and discusses the path of sustainable development with other countries. With the joint efforts of all parties, on November 4, 2016, the Paris Agreement officially entered into force, becoming one of the fastest international treaties in history.
The birth of the Paris Agreement embodies China's efforts to actively participate in global governance and work with the international community to address climate change. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said many times that China has made historic contributions, foundational contributions, important contributions and key contributions to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and the success of the Paris Conference on Climate Change.
On December 12, 2020, on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the Climate Ambition Summit was held.
"Unite as one to create a new situation of win-win cooperation in climate governance", "Boost ambition, form a new system of climate governance that we can do our best" "Enhance confidence and adhere to new ideas for climate governance for green recovery" - At a major historical juncture, China has actively participated in and led global climate governance and firmly supported the United Nations to play a greater role in international affairs.
Claudia Venotti, director of the China-Europe Digital Association, said that in the face of the challenge of climate change, human destiny is shared, and multilateralism can effectively cope with common problems. In its efforts to address climate change, China has demonstrated its role as a major country in promoting the joint construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Independently increase the intensity of action to deal with climate change
The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, and the multilateral process of addressing climate change has encountered challenges... The world is at a new crossroads, and the international community needs more than ever to join forces to meet challenges and achieve common development.
China has always taken the initiative to assume international responsibilities in line with its national conditions, actively promoted green transformation, and continuously improved its efforts to deal with climate change. Recently, the national focal point of China's United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change formally submitted to the Convention Secretariat the "New Measures for China's Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions and New Targets" and "China's Long-term Greenhouse Gas Low Emission Development Strategy for the Middle of this Century".
Solemnly announced the goal of "striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and striving to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060", and proposed a series of specific measures to increase the strength of nationally determined contributions... As the world's largest developing country, China will complete the world's highest carbon emission intensity reduction, and achieve carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time in global history.
List "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality work" as one of the key tasks in 2021, include "carbon emissions stabilizing and falling after peaking" in the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the outline of long-term goals for 2035, incorporate carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of ecological civilization construction, accelerate the construction of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality "1 + N" policy system, and continue to promote the construction of the national carbon market system system... China is steadily moving towards the goal of "double carbon".
Abdullah Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, said that China has once again enhanced the confidence of the international community in addressing climate change. Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, praised China's great courage and firm commitment in addressing climate change, the most pressing issue for mankind.
China's forest area and stock have maintained "double growth" for 30 consecutive years, becoming the country with the largest increase in global forest resources; about 25% of the new green area from 2000 to 2017 in the world came from China, ranking first in the world; China has effectively protected 90% of the vegetation types and terrestrial ecosystem types, 65% of the higher plant communities and 85% of the key protected wildlife populations... The beautiful picture of green mountains, green water and new air is slowly unfolding on the land of China. Standing at a new historical starting point, China unswervingly follows the path of high-quality development of ecological priority, green and low carbon, leads the green recovery of the global economy, and makes important contributions to global climate governance.
Helping developing countries improve their capacity to cope with climate change
On December 20, 2019, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, the first remote sensing satellite cooperated by China and Africa, was successfully launched. Satellite data and applied imagery provide effective technical support for Ethiopia's response to climate change.
In the face of the challenge of climate change, the fate of mankind is shared. China has always adhered to multilateralism, stressed unity and promoted cooperation, and is committed to achieving mutual benefit and win-win results and benefiting the people of all countries.
The PV power plant project in Kaposchburg, Hungary, was put into operation, reducing carbon emissions by 120,000 tons per year; the Zanatas project, the largest wind power project in Central Asia, achieved full capacity successful grid connection, reducing carbon emissions by 260,000 tons per year - a real figure, witnessing China's green technology and green solutions continuing to benefit the people along the "Belt and Road" and contributing to the global carbon reduction goals.
10 low-carbon demonstration zones, 100 climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, and 1,000 training places on climate change – with the support of the Climate Change South-South Cooperation Fund, China launched a new chapter in climate change cooperation in developing countries in 2016.
In Laos, China and Laos are working together to build a low-carbon demonstration zone and promote the development of Vientiane New City into a model for low-carbon environmental protection cities in Laos and even Southeast Asian countries;
In Cuba, China-aided household solar photovoltaic power generation systems and LED lights will serve 5,000 Cuban families located in complex terrain, greatly improving the quality of life of these families and helping Cuba improve its ability to cope with climate change.
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Action, vision into reality. Through various forms of South-South pragmatic cooperation, China has done its utmost to help developing countries improve their ability to cope with climate change, strive to promote the construction of a fair, reasonable, and win-win global environmental governance system, and leave a clean and beautiful world to future generations.
Yu Yichun Wang Xinping
Source: People's Daily