During COP26, we have followed the news both from Europe and from China, noticing completely different tones and approach. We believe it could be useful to provide the insight of a fully Chinese perspective of the event and its impact, both for China and the world. Here is the review of the event by our Shanghai colleague, Rita Chen.
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From October 31 to November 12, the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Glasgow, England. As the world’s largest developing country, China will be actively responding to climate change. As a responsible country, during COP26, China will continue to actively participate in international negotiations on climate change, provide support and assistance within its capacity as a developing country to deal with climate change, as well as promote the construction of a fair, reasonable, and win-win global climate governance system.
1. What measures has China taken domestically to deal with global climate change
In 2015, President Xi Jinping attended the Paris Conference on Climate Change and delivered an important speech, making an historic contribution to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. In September 2016, China deposited the ratification of the Paris Agreement to promote its rapid entry into force. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced at the 75th General Debate of the UN General Assembly that China will increase its contributions. In December 2020 at the Climate Ambition Summit, President Xi Jinping further announced a series of new goals for China with the aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, non-fossil energy development, and increase forest reserves by 2030.
In July 2021, China officially launched its online carbon trade exchange. In September at the General Debate of the 76th UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping declared that China will strongly support the green and low-carbon development of energy in developing countries and will no longer build overseas coal power. On October 24, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the “Opinions on the Complete, Accurate and Comprehensive Implementation of the New Development Concept to Obtain a Good Result in Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality”, which is the “1” in “1+N”. On the 26th, the State Council issued the “Carbon Peaking Action Plan by 2030”, which is the leading document in “N”, which clarified relevant working principles, main goals and key tasks, and drew a detailed road map. China will complete the world’s largest reduction in carbon emission, achieving carbon neutrality from the peak of carbon emissions in the shortest time in history, which embodies the greatest ambition and arduous efforts.
Under the implementation of a series of laws, systems, and policies, China’s carbon emission will drop by 48.4% compared with 2005, and the cumulative emission of carbon dioxide will be about 5.8 billion tons. From 2011 to 2020, the energy consumption will drop by 28.7%; in 2020, the added value of the tertiary industry accounted for 54.5% of GDP, registering an increase of 3.7% compared to 2015; from 2010 to 2020, about 7.2 million of hectares will be returned to forests and grasslands…
Whether you look at the long-term goals issued by China or at the effectiveness of China’s governance, you can see that tackling climate change is China’s internal requirement for sustainable development, and it is also an international obligation for a responsible major country. China has always worked for the ecological civilization and an activist in climate governance.
2. Prior to COP26, China actively released an action plan to address climate change
1. On October 27, 2021, China published the white paper “China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change”: it explained in-depth China’s new concept of addressing climate change, clearly described China’s national strategy for actively responding to climate change in a broader view, introduced the work process of China’s response to climate change, and comprehensively demonstrate China’s relevant experience and effectiveness in response to climate change.
2. On October 28, the National Focal Point of China’s “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” formally submitted to the Secretariat of the Convention the “New Measures for China to Implement the Effectiveness and New Goals of China’s Nationally Determined Contributions” (“Independent Contributions”) and “China’s Long-Term Development Strategy for Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Middle of the Century” (“Long-Term Strategy”). These are concrete measures taken by China to implement the “Paris Agreement”, which reflects China’s determination and efforts to promote green and low-carbon development and actively respond to global climate change.
The “Independent Contributions” summarized China’s remarkable achievements in implementing its contributions since 2015, and fully demonstrated China’s tremendous efforts and help to address climate change.
It also put forward a new national independent contribution target: strive to reach the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. By 2030, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will drop by more than 65% compared to 2005; non-fossil energy will account for about 25% of primary energy consumption; the area covered by forests will increase by 6 billion cubic meters compared to 2005; the total installed capacity of wind and solar power will reach more than 1.2 billion kilowatts.
The “Independent Contributions” has been drafted on the important policy measures and key tasks for the implementation of the new Nationally Determined Contribution Goals based on the aspects of coordinating and orderly promoting carbon peaks and carbon neutrality, proactively adapting to climate change, and strengthening support and guarantees, and reflects China’s firm determination to implement its nationally determined contributions. At the same time, it also explained to the international community China’s basic position on global climate governance, its contributions and considerations for further promoting international cooperation on climate change, and actively promoted the establishment of a fair, reasonable, and win-win global climate governance system.
The “Long-Term Strategy” puts forward the basic policy for China to promote the development of long-term low-emission greenhouse gas emissions. Peak and carbon neutrality are incorporated into the overall economic and social development, with the aim to accelerate the formation of an industrial structure, production method, lifestyle, and spatial pattern that conserve resources and protect the environment, and unswervingly follow the ecological priority, green and low-carbon high-quality development path, and ensure that it is respected the schedule for achieving the carbon peak and the carbon neutrality.
The “Long-Term Strategy” it also puts forward global climate governance concepts and propositions of upholding fairness and reasonableness, upholding win-win cooperation, upholding respect for science, and upholding commitments, and proposes to the international community to join hands in addressing climate change.
3. President Xi Jinping delivered a written speech to the COP26 “World Leaders Summit”, expounding China’s climate governance propositions, propagating, and introducing China’s climate governance achievements and contributions.
During COP26, the British side held the “World Leaders Summit” from November 1 to 2, and President Xi Jinping delivered a written speech.
In his speech, President Xi Jinping presented China’s plans on the major issues of our times, that is how to deal with climate change and promote the recovery of the world economy. He put forward three propositions: maintaining multilateral consensus, focusing on pragmatic actions, and accelerating green transformation. President Xi Jinping emphasized that China upholds the important concept of a community of human and natural life, and adheres to the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon development. The “1+N” policy system clarifies the timetable, road map and construction map for China to achieve carbon neutrality.
President Xi Jinping’s written speech demonstrated China’s role as a major country in actively responding to climate change and leading global climate governance, and was highly praised by the international community. Just as President Xi Jinping emphasized, “Rule by Reality”, China is willing to work with the international community to address the challenges of climate change, to protect the Earth, common home of mankind, and to promote the building of a community of life between man and nature.
On November 2, President Xi Jinping’s special representative and China’s special delegate for climate change affairs, Xie Zhenhua, accepted an interview with the media and responded to the hot issues of the conference and China’s response to climate change. He specifically pointed out that “We advocate that all countries should do their best to deal with the issue of climate change. Because we are on the same big boat and have to do our best. We must be constructive and be able to give full play to the market mechanism to achieve the greatest emission reduction benefits at the lowest cost.”
At the next COP26, China will keep its promises, continue to consistently adhere to multilateralism, and work with all parties to promote the comprehensive, balanced, effective and continuous implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, to contribute to the fight against climate change. Chinese wisdom, Chinese power, Chinese plan.
