A New Global Deal on Climate
2021/11/17 00:41

China, together with nearly 200 other participating countries, adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact at the end of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the past weekend. 

China is also among the 100+ countries that have committed to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030.

The Glasgow Climate Pact "will help kick-start a new journey of global efforts to tackle climate change," Zhao Yingmin, head of the Chinese delegation to COP26 and China's vice minister of ecology and environment, told Xinhua News Agency in an exclusive interview.

"The new global deal, especially the close of the rulebook of Paris Agreement, bears great significance for defending multilateralism and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.", said Zhao. 

China-U.S. cooperation critical to future climate progress


In the final days of the conference, China and the United States issued a joint declaration on enhancing climate change actions in the 2020s, which is widely welcomed and believed can galvanize global collective actions.

The joint declaration issued by China and the United States on enhancing climate action stands as a confidence booster for all parties in fighting climate change and also an impetus for improving global climate governance amid daunting challenges.

Facts have proven that cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the United States. As major countries in the world, both of them bear special international responsibilities and obligations. The two countries can achieve many great things that benefit both sides and the entire world as long as they join hands.

World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende said that future cooperation between China and the United States, the two largest economies in the world, be it in the area of climate change, biodiversity, trade, or technology, is critical. 

China Walks the Talk


China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. As a country known for walking the talk, China has translated its commitments into real action.

China's carbon intensity in 2020 was 48.4 percent less than that in 2005, which means that China had more than fulfilled its commitment of achieving a 40-45 percent reduction in carbon intensity from 2005 levels by 2020.

The drop in carbon intensity means a total reduction of about 5.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 to 2020, and demonstrates that China has largely reversed the rapid growth of its carbon dioxide emissions.

Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, explained that the measures countries around the world have been taking to cut emissions usually include improving energy efficiency, optimizing the energy mix, developing renewable energy, adjusting its industrial structure and developing forest carbon sequestration.

"China's contribution in these said areas accounts for about 30 percent to 50 percent of the world's total," Xie said.

According to the World Bank, China has accounted for more than half of the world's entire energy savings since 2005.

China has become the world's largest market for renewable energy, with renewable power accounting for 29.5 percent of overall electricity consumption, according to official statistics.

The country is also the world's biggest manufacturer of renewable energy equipment, ranking first in installed capacity of hydroelectric, wind and solar power generation, and has the largest nuclear power generating projects under construction.

Developed Countries' Climate Debt


Meanwhile, developed countries, whose industrialization is responsible for most of today's climate change impacts, were urged to pay their fair share.

Developed countries in 2009 pledged 100 billion U.S. dollars a year to help lower-income nations by 2020. However, they still have not lived up to their promises. Recent reports indicate that this goal could be pushed back to 2023.

In the new climate deal hammered out by COP26, there are commitments to significantly increasing financial support through the Adaptation Fund, with developed countries urged to double their support to developing countries by 2025.

"There is some progress. However, it still falls short of expectations. There remain lots of regrets. The developed nations have failed to well address the core concerns of developing countries over such issues as adaptation, finance and technological support," Zhao said.


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