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2016-05-08
During the APEC meetings, the usually smog-filled Beijing has fresh air and blue sky, which became a new highlight of the APEC meetings. The phrase “APEC blue” became popular over one night. While people are still talking about the APEC blue, the G20 summit again focuses on the topic of climate. We can see that the whole world is paying great attention to the climate issue that is closely related with human life. China’s active attitude and firm resolve in combating climate change exhibit the image as a responsible big nation.
China and the U.S. make joint announcement during APEC and China make significant commitment
As the largest and second largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States and China issued the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change, which outlined respectively the two countries' post-2020 actions on climate change.
During the APEC meetings, China and the United States issued the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change, which gained wide attention and positive evaluation from the international community. According to an editorial comment from the Financial Times, China and the United States’ agreement on emission reduction has injected new hope into the progress in negotiations on climate change. The largest carbon emitter is setting the timetable, which makes the upcoming Paris Climate Talks “well worth paying attention to”.
The joint announcement outlined respectively the two countries' post-2020 actions on climate change. According to the announcement, the United States has set a target of reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 percent below its 2005 level in 2025, while China has pledged to achieve the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030. Both China and the United States plan to work hard and enhance the efforts along with the passage of time.
As the largest and second largest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States’ announcement of the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change bears historic significance, which established a foundation for a possible a protocol with legal force at a UN climate conference in Paris in 2015.
G20 faces climate change directly and major economies make ambitious pledges
As the host country for the G20 summit in 2014, Australia had been trying to kick discussions on climate change out of the summit agenda. However, China, the United States and other nations overrode host Australia's attempts to keep climate change off the formal agenda, put climate change on the summit agenda and faced the climate issues directly.
With regard to the climate issue, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized again that China has pledged to achieve the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030. At the same time, China will establish South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change and help other developing nations deal with climate change.
U.S. President Obama also expressed that the U.S. committed $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund to help individual countries deal with climate change, reduce carbon pollution and develop clean energy. Meanwhile Japan also pledged $1.5 billion to deal with climate change.
China exhibits image of responsible big nation
In recent years, China has undertaken a series of measures to actively deal with climate change. China is active in attitude and firm in resolve when dealing with climate change. According to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei’s remarks on the Regular Press Conference on November 13, China is firm in resolve and strong in actions when it comes to combating climate change. China's objectives are set upon scrupulous research and study and therefore full of vigor and ambition, requiring arduous efforts to be implemented. China is utterly serious and responsible in this regard.
During both the APEC meetings and the G20 summit in 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized China’s blueprint of achieving the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030. This means China will make great efforts in the next few years to restrict greenhouse gas emission and strive for the goal of building a beautiful China and a harmonious world.
Expert comment
Many environmental academics and experts highly appraise the common understanding reached on a series of climate issues during the APEC meetings and the G20 summit and believe this established a foundation for a possible global climate protocol at a UN climate conference in Paris in 2015
With regard to the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change, Jake Schmidt, Director of the International Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)expressed that China and the United States are the two biggest economies in the world and have decisive impacts on market investment. The two countries have always been the most difficult participator in the history of negotiations on climate. Now the two countries made significant pledges, which sent a strong signal toward other countries in the world.
Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University expressed that the joint announcement gave the world a chance to strive for climate security. The global temperature is increasing while the negotiations on climate are increasingly heated. For the majority of people who wish the earth a more secure place, the joint announcement presents a significant progress.
Li Junfeng, Director of the Department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the P.R.C. expressed that as large carbon emitters, China and the United States took the lead in making pledges on emission reduction, which set a good example for other countries. Mr. Li Junfeng also expressed that it is very difficult for China to achieve the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030.
Although the G20 summit is themed on economic development, climate change agenda runs through the whole summit. Jin Canrong, China’s international relations expert, believed that the G20 summit made outstanding achievements in promoting economic growth, energy saving and emission reduction.
As a big challenge facing all countries, global climate change has profound influence on human survival and development. Combating climate change involves global common interest and calls for collective efforts of all countries in order to achieve sustainable development and construct a harmonious society. While pursuing economic development, China has been committed to building a beautiful China and a harmonious society, which will not be only a dream if countries in the world can cooperate with each other.
From : www.ditan360.com
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