SCIO press conference on white paper 'China's Green Development in the New Era'
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 3, 2023
Phoenix TV:
The white paper calls on all countries to work together to tackle climate change and safeguard the Earth. What impact has China's green development had on the global response to climate change? What are your future considerations? Thank you.
Zhao Chenxin:
Thank you for your question, which is important. Mr. Zhao Yingmin, vice minister of ecology and environment, has participated in many negotiations on climate change and has just attended the U.N. Biodiversity Conference. His introduction was important and informative, and I would like to add a few more points.
China is the world's largest developing country, and its achievements in green development have strongly supported the global response to climate change. We are also willing to share our experience and achievements in China's green development with other countries. There is lots of relevant information in the white paper.
First, China's commitment to green and low-carbon development has enormously contributed to the global response to climate change. In the past decade of the new era, China has worked to adjust its industrial, energy and transportation structure to promote a green, low-carbon way of life and production, surpassing the target of cutting carbon intensity by 40% to 45% by 2020 compared to that in 2005. China has continued to improve its manufacturing capacity for renewable energy equipment. It now ranks first in the world for the production of wind power and photovoltaic power generation equipment, providing strong support for global energy transformation. China has also intensified efforts to protect and restore ecosystems, becoming the first country in the world to achieve "zero growth" in land degradation and a decrease in both desertification and sandification. Both China's forest coverage rate and forest stock have maintained growth, contributing more "Chinese green" to the world. Since the beginning of this century, roughly one-quarter of the global new green leaf area has come from China. Meanwhile, as I said in my previous answer and opening remarks, China has actively advanced the international negotiations on climate change, carried out South-South cooperation on climate change, promoted the Belt and Road Initiative as environmentally friendly, and made every effort to assist and help other developing countries, playing an essential role in enhancing the global capacity to address climate change.
Second, China has made a major strategic decision to achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, injecting strong impetus into the global response to climate change. With the solemn commitment to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, China will achieve the biggest decrease in carbon intensity in the world, with shortest time in history between achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, which will strongly promote the process of global carbon reduction. To advance peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, China has set up a leading group at the central governmental level, and each province, autonomous region and municipality directly under the central government has also set up its own leading group in this regard, forming a working system coordinated from top to bottom. We have also implemented a "1+N" policy system and deployed 10 "carbon peak campaigns" to form an overall pattern featuring clear goals, rational division of work, effective measures, and smooth coordination for promoting peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. Thanks to the joint efforts of all sectors of society, great progress has been made in key areas. For instance, as you may know, we have made smooth progress in constructing large wind power and photovoltaic bases with a capacity of 450 million kW in sandy areas, rocky areas and deserts. The first phase of projects with a capacity of approximately 100 million kW has started construction, the information of which we have released to the public in many ways. We are also advancing the second and third phases of the project. In 2021, the proportion of new environmentally-friendly buildings in urban areas increased to 84%. China's investment in clean energy has continued to grow in recent years. According to statistics from the International Energy Agency I saw earlier, China's investment in clean energy in 2021 reached $380 billion, ranking first in the world. Many domestic and international statistics show that China actively encourages the world to achieve carbon reduction targets with practical actions.
Next, China will stay committed to implementing the major strategic decision to achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, accelerate its development model's green transformation, and continue contributing to the response to global climate change. First, we will take active yet prudent steps to achieve China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, and strike a balance between development and emission reduction, the big picture and respective situations, long-term and short-term goals, and between the government and the market. Second, we will, based on China's energy resource endowment and its actual conditions, advance the energy revolution and accelerate the planning and construction of a new energy system in accordance with overall planning and the principle of establishing the new before abolishing the old. Third, we will improve China's industrial structure at a faster pace to promote green and low-carbon industrial development. Fourth, we will advance the efficient and intensive use of all resources, and continue to improve the efficiency of their use, as I have mentioned. Fifth, we will continue to improve the green and low-carbon policy system, and pool more resources and production factors to promote green development. Sixth, we will play an active role in global governance on climate change, carry out extensive international cooperation in the green and low-carbon fields, and work to build a clean and beautiful world. Thank you.
Xing Huina:
Today's press conference has now concluded. Thank you, speakers. Thank you to all my friends in the media. Goodbye.
Translated and edited by Zhang Liying, Wang Qian, Wang Yiming, He Shan, Zhang Lulu, Wang Yanfang, Xu Kailin, Ma Yujia, Wang Mengru, Zhang Junmian, Cui Can, Huang Shan, Xu Xiaoxuan, Duan Yaying, Liu Sitong, Li Huiru, Daniel Xu, Tom Arnsten, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.
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