By Guan Kejiang, Ren Haoyu, People’s Daily
The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change kicked off in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Themed “Unite. Act. Deliver,” the COP28 will see the first-ever global stocktake of the Paris Agreement. All participating parties are looking forward to making progress on multiple important issues.
China has acted as an important participant, contributor and leader in global ecological progress. Its philosophy and achievements in ecological civilization construction have attracted great attention.
Participants in the COP28 told People’s Daily that they expect China to continue playing a leading role and contribute its wisdom and strength together with all parties to building a fair and rational global climate governance system for win-win results.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat pointed out that the conference takes place in what is already known to be the hottest year ever recorded in human history and is a decisive moment to act on climate commitments and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
On Dec. 1, over 130 countries signed a declaration on food, agriculture, and climate action, aiming to address global greenhouse gas emissions while safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of farmers in regions most affected by climate change.
On Dec. 2, China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates jointly hosted a summit on methane and non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases. China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry had discussions on the implementation of the Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis, methane emissions control, international cooperation and other important issues.
Dubai is hosting COP28 in its Expo City, and there are two main sites for the events – the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. The Blue Zone is open to accredited delegates and it hosts formal and informal negotiations. The Green Zone is open to the public and offers a platform for non-accredited delegates from different groups to exhibit and exchange ideas.
China’s pavilion at the COP28, located in the Blue Zone, was officially inaugurated on Nov. 30. It has attracted many visitors with a climate action animation exhibition with the theme of low-carbon development, a green energy demonstration sand table showcasing everything from green electricity to chemical production, and models of new energy vehicles. The pavilion will host a series of side events and activities in nine thematic days.
Over 100 activities will be organized by Chinese government agencies, research institutions, industry associations, businesses, and non-governmental organizations, focusing on China’s actions and international cooperation in addressing climate change, green and low-carbon development, coordinated pollution and carbon reduction, just transition and sustainable development, energy transition, digital development, and green finance.
China has made tremendous achievements in ecological civilization construction, said Erik Solheim, former UN under-secretary-general and Senior Advisor to the World Resources Institute. He noted that he had visited various regions in China, where he witnessed environmental improvement, as well as the increasing sense of gain and fulfillment of the people.
Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said that the Fund has been collaborating with relevant departments in China for over 20 years, and witnessed China’s achievements in environmental protection, carbon emissions trading markets, and community green spaces.
The United States and China share extensive common interests in the field of climate change, Krupp pointed out, hoping countries around the world could make joint efforts to build a better future.
The Green Zone hosts over 600 events under 10 themes during the COP28. On Dec. 1, Chinese tech giant Tencent and Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates jointly launched a global low-carbon innovation alliance at a forum on accelerating green and low-carbon transition. The alliance was joined by over 30 institutions and companies, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McKinsey, and Siemens.
At the forum, Tencent unveiled an international version of its online platform for low-carbon technology innovation TanLIVE, which was designated as the official platform for the alliance.
Xu Hao, head of Tencent’s Carbon Neutrality Lab, expressed the hope to promote deeper communication and collaboration among stakeholders in the low-carbon field, and to support Chinese low-carbon innovation enterprises in expanding overseas.
Former Vice Chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Mohan Munasinghe stated that Chinese modernization is a path for green development. As a developing country, China has made tremendous efforts in promoting ecological civilization construction and achieved remarkable accomplishments.
China has proposed to jointly build a green Belt and Road, advocating for the building of a clean and beautiful world, which showcases its significant role in global climate governance and common development.
Xie noted that as a responsible major developing country, China has always adhered to the strategic determination of climate action. China’s economic and social development has embarked on a comprehensive green transformation track.
China will continue to make greater contributions to addressing the global climate crisis, achieving sustainable development, and building a clean and beautiful world through practical actions, as well as South-South and North-South cooperation.
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