People's Daily Cui Yige.
Looking back on 2023, extreme weather and natural disasters have occurred frequently around the world, and climate change has become the focus of attention of all countries. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned: "The era of global warming is over, and the era of global boiling has arrived." "The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) has captured the world's attention.
As a developing country and a member of the Global South, China stands with other developing countries, firmly upholds the common interests of developing countries, effectively promotes South-South cooperation on climate change, and contributes to building a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system.
There is an urgent need for the world to work together to combat climate change.
The Paris Agreement reached at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference proposes that all parties will step up their efforts to address the threat of global climate change by limiting the increase in global average temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to limit warming to 1 degreeI work hard within 5 degrees Celsius.
At present, the situation of global warming is severe, and it is more urgent for all countries to jointly achieve the above goals. According to a report released by the World Meteorological Organization, the global average temperature in 2023 was about 1. above the pre-industrial baseline (1850 to 1900) by the end of October4 degrees Celsius. According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 projected by the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by all parties could increase global warming by more than 15 degrees Celsius.
From November 30 to December 13, COP28 was held in the United Arab Emirates, and the conference made important progress, reaching the "UAE Consensus", announcing the formal establishment of loss and damage**, completing the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement, and reaching the framework of global adaptation goals and the work plan of the just transition pathway, which is of great significance to the global climate governance process. Simon Steele, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, pointed out that the global stocktake of the Paris Agreement shows that global climate action is "not fast enough", that the international community must fully implement the Paris Agreement, and that all companies need to translate their commitments into concrete action in a timely manner.
There is a gap in the support needed by developing countries.
Developing countries are the biggest victims of climate change, and their ability to cope with climate change is relatively weak, with insufficient financial, technological and capacity-building support. Developed countries have historical, legal and moral responsibilities for climate change. At the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, developed countries pledged to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance to developing countries, a commitment that was reaffirmed in the Paris Agreement.
On December 29, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences-China Meteorological Administration Joint Laboratory of Climate Change Economics Simulation and Social Sciences Academic Press jointly released the Report on Climate Change (2023): Actively and Steadily Promoting Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality (hereinafter referred to as the "Green Paper on Climate Change"). The Green Paper on Climate Change shows that in the process of carbon neutrality, clean energy technology innovation and development are becoming the focus of global technology competition and game.
The study finds that under the constraints of the carbon neutrality goal, the energy transition of the five major industries of electricity, road transportation, steel, hydrogen energy and agriculture will accelerate, and clean energy technology innovation and capital investment need to be increased urgently. The energy transition of the five major industries may form new green barriers, which will put huge pressure on the economic development of developing countries.
China pragmatically promotes South-South cooperation on climate change.
China is a doer in advancing global climate governance. Since 2000, China has exceeded its 2020 climate action target, taken the lead in achieving zero growth in land degradation in the world, and has built the world's largest clean power generation system, ranking first in the world in terms of installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and solar power.
We will deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms in the field of climate change, promote multilateral and bilateral climate change negotiations, and jointly build a green Silk Road ......Over the years, China has done its best to support developing countries, especially the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, in coping with the challenge of climate change.
At COP28, many countries agreed to triple the world's installed renewable power generation capacity by 2030. On September 4, China's Minister of Ecology and Environment, Huang Runqiu, announced on the sidelines of the first Africa Climate Summit that China would develop and implement the "African Light Belt" project for South-South cooperation to address climate change. The project is one of China's actions to implement the China-Africa Cooperation Declaration on Climate Change, and will make use of the advantages of China's photovoltaic industry to help solve the problem of electricity lighting for poor households in Africa by adopting the method of "material assistance + exchange and dialogue + joint research + capacity building".
The "African Light Belt" project is one of the many cooperation projects carried out by China and other developing countries in the field of sustainable development. Karot Hydropower Station in Pakistan, Dea Wind Power Project in South Africa, Eldafra Photovoltaic Power Station in the United Arab Emirates, Zanatas Wind Power Project in Kazakhstan, Gochari Photovoltaic Power Station Project in Jujuy Province of Argentina, Mozura Wind Power Project in Montenegro ......Chinese companies are building renewable energy projects all over the world. According to China's most important data, at present, 50% of the world's wind power and 80% of photovoltaic equipment come from China.
According to the 2023 Annual Report on China's Policies and Actions on Climate Change released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China actively participates in global governance on climate change and has made positive progress in South-South cooperation on climate change. As of September 2023, China has signed 48 memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation on climate change with 40 developing countries, cooperated in the construction of 4 low-carbon demonstration zones, carried out 75 climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, held 52 capacity-building training courses, and trained more than 2,300 leaders and technicians in the field of climate change for more than 120 developing countries.
China has made historic contributions to the conclusion, signing, entry into force and implementation of the Paris Agreement. In order to contribute to the success of COP28, since the beginning of this year, China has maintained close communication with all parties, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the presidency of COP28, and actively negotiated with all parties to complete the first global stocktaking after the entry into force of the Paris Agreement.
In the future, China will continue to unswervingly follow the Chinese path of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, continue to support in-depth South-South cooperation on climate change, and actively promote the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement to jointly build a clean and beautiful world.