WWF: China plays a unique role against climate change
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China is in a unique position to combat climate change because it possesses a strong willingness to reach its emissions' targets while also supporting other developing countries in their efforts to fight climate change, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) representative for China said on Monday.
China announced its emission targets before the United Nations Copenhagen Summit last December. It aims to reduce its carbon intensity by 40-45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels.
"Along with other BRIC (Brazil, Russian, India, China) countries that have rapid growth, China's emission target shows it's willing to play a constructive role tackling climate change," said Dermot O'Gorman, the WWF's representative in China.
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Dermot O'Gorman, the Country Representative of WWF China [China.org.cn] |
He said China has continued to push the principle of "common but differentiate responsibilities" (CBDR), which was formulated at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, in an effort to have developed countries significantly cut their emissions while providing financial aid and technology transfer to support developing countries.
"On the way to Cancun (Cancun Climate Summit, December 2010) we need to see developed countries commit more, but we are also going to see many developing countries do more, because we all realize the importance of tackling climate change and the transfer to low-carbon economy," he said.
He added that the WWF will continue to see how the developing countries can be helped in terms of technology transfer to ensure them to use the best technologies.
"There are strong energy efficiency targets and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China," O'Gorman said. "They've supported the renewable-energy sector the last five years, such as the wind-power industry and the domestic solar-energy sector, and it would be a significant achievement if China could overshoot its targets."
At the latest round climate-change talks, representatives from 182 governments gathered in Bonn, Germany, on May 31, and continued debating unresolved issues from Copenhagen.
"At the Copenhagen climate talks, the expectations were huge and people were disappointed about the results, but now we see how the accord there put us in a better place," O'Gorman said.
He said he's hopeful about progress in Cancun but doesn't want to make any predictions.
"There is a lot to discuss, and we hope countries step up more, but at this stage it's too early to say what will happen in Cancun," O'Gorman said. "But the talks currently underway help to advance the framework and the operation of the Copenhagen Accord."
There are signs that climate-change awareness is growing in China. The WWF has been working with China's Ministry of Education to promote environmental education, especially activities for children, and Earth Hour, a world-wide event in which individuals and businesses switch off their lights to stand against climate change, attracted hundreds of millions of people in China this year.
O'Gorman believes as more and more people in China are educated about the issues, the goal of saving energy and countering climate change becomes easier to achieve.
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