China resolved to fight climate change, pursue sustainable development
The French writer Victor Hugo observed in Les Miserables that “Supreme resources spring from extreme resolutions.” In much the same way, China is committed to innovation and development in a green way to fight climate change.
As the world’s largest developing country, China is playing an active role in negotiation and global governance on climate change.
Self- motivated and willing to work with others to save the planet, China has taken steps, including billions of dollars of investment, to tackle climate change and provide advanced new- energy technology.
The 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( COP22), from November 7 to 18, was the first conference after the historic December 2015 Paris Agreement, which took effect on November 4 this year and has been ratified by 96 countries and the EU.
Under the agreement, nations agreed to combat climate change and to roll out actions and investment to ensure a low- carbon, resilient and sustainable future.
Chinese culture values harmony between man and nature. With its commitment, China is practicing what it preaches.
From 2010 to 2015, China
had the largest net increase of forested area, with an annual increase of more than 1.5 million hectares.
China leads the world in terms of energy conservation and utilization of new and renewable energy.
In 2015, there were 340,000 new- energy vehicles on China’s roads, and the country is the largest market for new energy automobiles. At the Marrakech summit in Morocco, 50 buses made by China’s Yangtze Automobile shuttled attendees to and from the conference. China also reaffirmed that it would set up a 20 billion yuan ($ 2.9 billion) fund for SouthSouth cooperation to help other developing countries cope with climate change, funding projects such as low- carbon model parks, implementing mitigation and training personnel. In a document submitted ahead of the Paris talks in 2015, China pledged to cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. China vowed to peak its CO2 emissions by around 2030, raise the share of nonfossil fuels in primary energy consumption to about 20 percent and increase forest stock by around 4.5 billion cubic meters from 2005. The country’s 13th Five- Year Plan ( 2016- 20) also reflected these targets. China has taken a leading role in global emissions reduction and its contribution was recognized by officials from other countries and organizations.
“China is the largest investor in renewable energy in the world,” said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency. “This shows China’s commitment.”
Executive director of the United Nations Environment Program ( UNEP) Erik Solheim credited China’s robust leadership for the adoption of the Paris climate deal in December last year, and spoke highly of China’s contribution to the global green agenda.
The summit is not the finishing line but a new starting point.
Faced with growing pressure on resources and the environment, China called on countries to increase dialogues and exchanges of best practices with other developing countries, draw on each other’s strengths to achieve common development through mutual learning, and deliver benefits to all people.