Green beneath the glare

The UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, scheduled for November 9-20, brings negotiations and consultations on numerous issues related to implementing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the landmark Paris Agreement, covering mitigation, adaptation, climate finance and just transitions.

As global warming escalates and desertification expands, the twin challenges of reversing ecological degradation and transitioning to a low-carbon economy are testing the governance wisdom of countries worldwide. Each year's UN Climate Change Conference channels the world's collective efforts to address the climate crisis and restore ecosystems. In the Gobi Desert in northwest China, a novel approach — using photovoltaic panels to generate power while growing vegetation beneath and between the panels to stabilize the sand — offers a practical way to advance both climate action and desertification control.

For a long time, desertification and climate change have reinforced each other in a vicious cycle. Traditional governance often fell into a dilemma: Focusing solely on desert control proved economically unsustainable, while low-carbon transition frequently hit bottlenecks such as land scarcity and high ecological costs. China's "solar power plus desert control" approach addresses this governance challenge directly and redefines the value of desert land.

Photovoltaic panels laid out in vast arrays across deserts serve as a "green barrier." While generating electricity, they shelter drought-tolerant, sand-stabilizing plants beneath them, reducing water evaporation. This forms a virtuous cycle of power generation, sand stabilization and soil protection. Today, once barren areas such as the Hobq (Kubuqi) Desert and the Mu Us (Maowusu) Desert have become hubs for green energy. The transition has not only curbed desertification but also consistently generated green electricity and reduced carbon emissions, advancing both ecological restoration and the national twin goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, to be reached before 2030 and 2060, respectively.

Beyond ecological benefits, the photovoltaic desert control model also builds a sustainable development system, putting inclusive climate governance into practice.

Idle desert land is revitalized, green electricity facilitates low-carbon transformation, and industries such as under-panel planting help local people increase incomes. These once ecologically fragile regions are becoming green growth belts — proof that ecological protection, economic growth and people's improved wellbeing can all be realized together.