Jiangsu’s first island electricity substation in Rudong District, November 5, 2024
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 9th anniversary of the entry into force of the Paris Agreement. On the eve of COP29, the 6th High-Level Dialogue of the Friends of the Paris Agreement was held in Paris, on October 28 and 29, under the Sino-French auspices. This is a high-level unofficial exchange platform, mainly bringing together actors and witnesses to the outcome of the agreement. This 6th edition reviewed the journey and achievements of the global response to climate change, and gave rise to in-depth discussions on the current issues, requirements and key tasks of this cause. A president’s summary will also be prepared for the United Nations, the presidency of the Conference on Climate Change and the UNFCCC secretariat. I had the opportunity to attend the dialogue with Xie Zhenhua, China’s former special envoy for climate change, which deepened my understanding of the work on climate change.
Driven by the continued increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, global warming has recorded an unprecedented rate in recent years. Studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that the influence of human activities is causing rapid and widespread changes in the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and biosphere. According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2023 was the hottest year on record globally, with the average temperature about 1.45°C higher than pre-industrial times. Climate change affects all regions of the planet, representing a severe threat to the survival of humanity and its sustainable development. According to the World Health Organization, climate change poses “the greatest threat to the health of humanity.” The fight against climate change is about saving not only the planet’s ecosystem, but above all humanity itself.
The Paris Agreement embodies the broadest consensus of the international community on this fight and defines the directions, objectives and institutional arrangements. However, global climate action faces many difficulties and challenges, leading to a gap between reality and objectives. This is reflected in particular by a bumpy green transition, increased politicization of environmental and climate issues, escalating green trade barriers and growing uncertainty in the collaborative response. Regardless, China is taking on its role as a climate actor. In recent years, while accelerating its own energy transition, it has firmly committed to international cooperation in this area, maintaining the course in the global fight against climate change. Last August, the Chinese government rolled out a green transition strategy on all levels of economic and social development, and will make an active contribution to the global energy transition and building a cleaner and more beautiful world.
BYD new energy vehicle assembly in Yinchuan, Ningxia
An irreversible trend
Over the past thirty years, and particularly in the nine years since the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, the goals and pathways of global climate governance have become clearer. The UNFCCC, adopted in 1992, defined the ultimate goal of climate governance as “stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic disruption of the climate system” and the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities. The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, established a so-called “top-down” emissions reduction mechanism that engaged developed countries. At the end of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Paris Agreement was concluded, which sets out provisions for climate action after 2020 and proposes a “bottom-up” model of nationally determined contributions .
Since the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, global actions, support and cooperation to address the climate crisis have increased, making encouraging progress towards the objectives set. Today, the response to climate change has been widely integrated into national policies and strategies of different countries as well as international cooperation, and low-carbon or even net-zero transition and climate resilience have become an irreversible global trend.
Challenges to global climate action
The first global review of the Paris Agreement, drawn up in 2023, revealed a giant gap between facts and goals and commitments, generally falling behind in aspects of technology, financing and transparency among others. Funding for the achievement of these objectives is staggering with patent slowness and glaring insufficiency. According to estimates from the United Nations Environment Program, developing countries’ financing needs for adaptation to climate change will amount to $340 billion per year by 2030, but the current amount of aid does not reach even a tenth. Many developing countries face significant budgetary constraints, restricted access to public financial resources and limited capacity to raise funds in capital markets, preventing them from implementing ambitious financing measures. mitigation and adaptation.
At the same time, unilateralism and geopolitical disputes have dealt a serious blow to the multilateral cooperation system on climate change and affected collective action on global climate governance. To ensure that the world can achieve the goals of keeping global temperature rise below 2°C, or even 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial times, all parties must uphold multilateralism and multilateral processes and stick to them. It is essential to continue climate governance and cooperation under the Paris Agreement, strengthen exchanges and consultations, refrain from unilateral trade measures hampering the transition, and ensure that funds are provided and mobilized to developing countries to support stronger climate action.
An example of harmony between man and nature in Zhangguiling village, Yidu (Hubei)
The Chinese contribution
Since joining the Paris Agreement as the world’s largest developing country, China has walked its talk by implementing a series of strategies, measures and actions to combat climate change. . In 2020, it announced an upward revision of nationally determined contributions with stronger policies and measures with the aim of reaching peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. It will promote actively and steadily the green and low-carbon energy transition, and will accelerate the development of renewable energies, key to controlling CO2 emissions. At the end of last September, China’s total installed wind and photovoltaic power capacity stood at 1.25 billion kilowatts, meeting its commitment of 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030 six years ahead of schedule. country has about 25 million new energy vehicles so far, and recorded more than 9.8 million sales in the first ten months of this year, accounting for 38.6% of total sales new cars.
Moreover, with relentless technological innovation, a complete industrial and supply chain, vigorous market competition and a gigantic domestic market, China’s new energy industry has taken off. This dynamic has fueled the indisputable green competitiveness of photovoltaic products, lithium batteries and new energy vehicles, contributing to the remarkable global decline in the costs of wind and photovoltaic power as well as electric vehicles. At present, China’s wind and photovoltaic products are exported to more than 200 countries and regions around the world, promoting the large-scale deployment of renewable energy and the global energy transition.
Architecture of China’s green transition
Last August, the Chinese government issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Green Transition in All Areas of Economic and Social Development. The document specifies that, guided by the objective of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, it is necessary to advance in a synergistic manner the reduction of carbon emissions, the reduction of pollution, the extension of green spaces and the maintenance of growth. These first structuring provisions for the country relating to the green transition shed further light on the path to its low-carbon transition.
First, we must consider the green and low-carbon energy transition as the fundamental path to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, breaking resource constraints and improving energy security capabilities. Energy is a primary material basis for economic and social development, and at the same time represents the largest source of carbon emissions, accounting for more than 80%. China has set quantitative targets such as increasing the share of non-fossil energy consumption to around 25% by 2030 and surpassing 120 million kilowatts of pumped storage capacity.
Second, energy saving and carbon emission reduction in critical areas must serve as fundamental support for the green transition across all dimensions of economic and social development. Since 2013, China’s energy consumption growth of 3.3% per year has supported economic growth of 6.1% per year; energy intensity decreased by 26.1%, one of the fastest rates in the world. China has set a goal by 2030 of growing the size of its energy saving and environmental protection industry to 15 trillion yuan, and reducing the intensity of carbon emissions from commercial vehicles measured on the basis of converted sales of approximately 9.5% compared to 2020.
Third, we must make green and low-carbon industries a driver of high-quality economic development. Green development is a hallmark of high-quality development, and green productivity is part of the new quality productive force.
China is rapidly developing new green and low-carbon industries, economic activities and business models in order to continually increase their weight in its economy. China’s firm commitment to green development will inject more stability into the global response to climate change, and the innovation and development of China’s new energy industry will inject new impetus into global sustainable development.
*LÜ WENBIN is a researcher and director of the Energy Research Institute of the National Commission for Development and
of reform.
