At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, an agreement was reached to delay dangerous climate change. The outside world is very concerned about China’s role in this agreement.
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
November 13th article on the British Sky TV website, original title: COP26: Why does interest in emissions data show that China is taking climate change seriously.
The article pointed out that at the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the world had high hopes, or at least expectations, for China. Over the years, China has made some significant progress in this regard. The proportion of coal in China’s primary energy consumption has dropped from 68% in 2010 to 56.8%.
Xie Zhenhua, China’s special envoy for climate change affairs, said that China has detailed and specific emission reduction commitments, which are different from countries that only make “verbal commitments.”
However, others want China to go faster. But there may be better news in China. Zhu Biqing, a researcher at Tsinghua University and also working for a global real-time carbon data platform, said, “As far as China is concerned, if people can see what they did last month instead of two years ago, they can see China shifting its policy focus from national regulation. Go to local supervision to pay more attention to the latest actions-focusing on current affairs rather than two years ago. I think this approach will definitely help countries around the world, not just China.”
China in particular is showing greater interest in emissions data. Zhu Biqing said, “Now I see far more actions in China than before, and they are not just the continuous introduction of national policies, but also responses from the local level. Governments across China are indeed trying their best to accurately calculate local carbon emissions, thereby Try to determine where they can reduce emissions without harming the local economy and other areas.”
As countries around the world are required to update data on their emission reduction progress next year, the latest emission figures will be of great significance. If the core task of COP26 is for countries to reach a written commitment to reduce emissions, then today’s top priority will be around emissions data.
In addition, the US “Washington Post” article on November 12, the author is Dimitar Georgiev, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University, the original title: The United States and China agree to cooperate on climate action, so what power Will promote this kind of cooperation?
The article pointed out that the United States and China, as the two largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, will shelve the dispute and agree to tackle climate change? This is the result that many people hope to see at COP26. On November 10, China and the United States announced plans to “in this decisive decade, each, work hand in hand, and work with other countries to strengthen and accelerate climate action and cooperation aimed at narrowing the gap.” To what extent can the world remain optimistic about China’s international participation in efforts to combat climate change? In this regard, people need to understand the following reality.
China became the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2006. China is also the most populous country in the world, so its per capita emissions are only about half that of the United States. In addition, China is still a developing country, and its cumulative carbon emissions are much lower than that of the United States. But China is catching up quickly, and its policymakers are aware of the country’s huge carbon footprint.
Last year, China proposed to strive for a carbon peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In the months before COP26, the Chinese government not only launched the world’s largest carbon rights trading market, but also announced plans to reduce domestic dependence on coal and stop new coal-fired power plants abroad. These news from China made people feel optimistic before COP26.
If the public regards climate action as a national interest, it will be easier to carry out. The survey shows that more than 94% of Chinese citizens believe that climate change is real, 66% believe that it is caused by humans, and the vast majority are willing to pay extra for reducing emissions or appropriately change their lifestyles—almost everyone agrees The Chinese government has a responsibility to participate in addressing climate risks.
However, despite public support for climate action, the online annual survey “China Policy Barometer” organized by the author shows that when Chinese citizens are informed about international pressure or the United States is adopting stronger climate protection measures, they are On the contrary, the degree of support will decrease. These investigations show that if China is openly pressured, international pressure may prevent – rather than force – China to take action. This is not to say that the Chinese public does not support cooperation, but that these surveys show that they want to see China dominate in the field of emissions reduction, or at least on par with the United States in this regard. As Beijing has repeatedly reiterated, mutual respect is the basis of cooperation between China and the United States.
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