On the eve of the convening of the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National People's Congress (NPC), a number of deputies and committee members suggested actively responding to climate change, strengthening research on key core meteorological technologies, enhancing climate resilience in urban renewal and transformation, and comprehensively improving disaster prevention, mitigation and relief capabilities. Formulate a law to address climate change, and accelerate the formation of a legislative system for carbon emission reduction.
Zheng Yongguang, deputy to the National People's Congress and chief scientist of the strong convection key innovation team of the China Meteorological Administration, will put forward four suggestions this year: focus on key core meteorological technologies, continue to improve the monitoring and early warning capabilities of small and medium-scale disaster weather, further enhance the comprehensive capacity of aviation meteorological support, and further strengthen the protection of ecological and climate resources.
China is one of the countries with the most serious natural disasters, such as the extreme rainstorm process in North China at the end of July and early August 2023, which led to serious human and economic losses. Zheng Yongguang introduced that in 2023, natural disasters across the country will cause direct economic losses of 3,454500 million yuan, of which the direct economic losses caused by meteorological and chain disasters exceeded 3292600 million yuan, super typhoons, extreme floods, sudden strong convective weather (tornadoes, hailstorms, etc.), high temperature and drought have brought huge risks and challenges to economic and social development and people's production and life.
Zheng Yongguang said that with the development of society and economy, the overall development and security of the requirements for the prevention of major risks of meteorological disasters are getting higher and higher, and the people's demand for a better life for meteorological services is becoming more and more diversified, and it is urgent to speed up scientific and technological innovation in response to the new situation and new requirements, break through the key technologies of disaster forecasting and early warning, seize the commanding heights, effectively improve disaster prevention and response capabilities, and build the first line of defense for meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation.
Zheng Yongguang suggested that key special projects in the field of meteorology should be set up to strengthen centralized research; Establish an effective mechanism to consolidate the responsibilities and roles of industry departments; Ensure stable and sufficient R&D investment, and promote the output of scientific research results and talent training.
Gong Jiandong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and director of the Earth System Numerical Prediction Center of the China Meteorological Administration, said in his proposal that China's climate change-sensitive areas and natural disaster vulnerability areas highly overlap, further increasing the risk of meteorological disasters. It is necessary to attach great importance to the new challenges of urban meteorological disasters in the context of climate change, and implement the requirements of climate resilience construction into urban planning, legal and regulatory systems, and urban renewal. In terms of planning, we should strengthen top-level design and guidance, adhere to the principle of combining "let", "prevention" and "avoidance", improve the index system of resilient city planning, study and compile special plans for resilient cities, and strengthen the rigid constraints of urban resilience improvement in various territorial spatial planning. Improve the emergency response plan system for urban meteorological disasters.
Zhang Tianren, a deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of Tianneng Holding Group, submitted a proposal for speeding up the formulation of a climate change law for the third time this year. During the two sessions of the National People's Congress in 2022, Zhang Tianren submitted a proposal to start the legislative work on climate change as soon as possible, establish the "dual carbon" goal as a national strategy in the form of law, and promote the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality by means of the rule of law.
At the 2023 National People's Congress and the National People's Congress, 60 deputies including Zhang Tianren and Xu Yanbin put forward a proposal on formulating a law on climate change and a law on the promotion of carbon neutrality. Zhang Tianren suggested that the National People's Congress should take the lead in initiating legislation related to climate change as soon as possible, provide sufficient legal basis and effective institutional guarantee for all kinds of carbon emission reduction and carbon trading activities, and promote the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality by means of the rule of law. The bill received the above response from the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress.
To cope with climate change, it is necessary to strengthen research on key core technologies such as meteorology. Photo by Zhang Ke.
On the occasion of the convening of the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress this year, Zhang Tianren once again suggested that the National People's Congress should take the lead in accelerating the formulation of a climate change law, create a unified and coordinated legal system for carbon neutrality and carbon emission reduction with Chinese characteristics, and promote the realization of carbon neutrality and carbon peak by means of the rule of law.
Under the new situation, the importance of accelerating the formation of a carbon emission reduction legislative system has become more prominent. Zhang Tianren said that China has completed the construction of carbon peak and carbon neutrality "1+N" policy system, but these regulations are loose and fragmented as a whole, and the laws and regulations for controlling and reducing carbon emissions are still relatively lacking, the legal system has not yet been established and improved, and the supervision and control system for carbon emissions has not yet been established, and the support for achieving the "double carbon" goal is insufficient.
On January 8 this year, the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) released its deliberation opinions on the motion submitted by the deputies submitted by the presidium of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation, indicating that it will work with relevant departments to actively carry out research and demonstration work on legislation to respond to climate change and carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and submit it to be included in the annual legislative work plan of the NPC Standing Committee when conditions are ripe.