China has been playing an important and constructive role in the global efforts towards climate change. Facing the global climate challenges like many other countries, China has made a significant presence at the COP 26 Summit held in Glasgow this November this year. China as a leading economy of the world is playing a constructive role in the global climate change drive.
Recently President Xi Jinping in his UNGA speech made the announcement to reduce China’s carbon neutrality by 2060. China also is urging the world to strengthen collaboration to promote mutual respect. This was an important step towards a world where there is less threat for the destruction of the planet. Analysts and governments across the globe welcomed this decision by China to move towards carbon neutrality.
China made its important step before joining the COP26 Summit. At the end of the COP26 Summit, the US and China signed an agreement of cooperation to limit their emissions to address the global climate challenge.
Together both countries are responsible for 40 percent of the global greenhouse gas emission. This agreement aims to help the reduction of emissions and cut the global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius.
What are COP and COP26?
Conference of the Parties, commonly known in acronym as COP. This is an annual conference where governments from across the world join together to make crucial decisions. These decisions make an impact on climate change drives and the way the world reacts towards the climate crisis. COP works under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to monitor and implement climate policies.
Established in 1995, this year it was the 26th meeting held at Glasgow. Hosted by the United Kingdom from 31 October till 12 November, the Summit culminated with hopes. The symposium was held in person where 190 countries were participating. This COP was important as the targets set for the countries were well behind the targets set in the Paris Agreement
Being a responsible part of the COP, China is also engaged to make COP successful. The country has also been a supporter of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. The Paris Agreement is considered as a landmark consensus against Climate Change. But China has urged the world in the COP26 to take concrete actions instead of just making empty slogans.
President Xi Jinping at COP26
Due to COVID-19, the Chinese President gave a written statement to COP26. This policy speech was made to support the global climate crisis.
Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of the urgency to deal with Climate change. He stated that multilateralism is the key in the fight against climate change. Climate change is a common and unprecedented challenge for the world. No one is safe until everyone is safe. Therefore, countries need to act upon the Paris Agreement which provides the basis for international cooperation.
The Chinese President also emphasized the importance of taking concrete actions. He stressed that we can not win the fight against climate change just by making speeches against climate change. Countries need to take action by implementing policies that can set examples for the other states.
Green Transition
President Xi Jinping urged the world to increase the speed of the green transition. The world does not have enough time. Thus, the green transition should be accelerated to prevent the environment from catastrophic effects. Xi Jinping also underlined key Chinese steps against climate change. He said that China looks forward to developing a green economy. China is committed to ecological conservation, he added.
China to peak carbon emissions before 2030
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is aiming to become a carbon-free country by accelerating the green transition. He emphasized the Chinese plan to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
But China is also committed more to the green transition that is the way that the world will survive. Therefore, China urges the world again and again to take concrete actions against climate change.
Multilateralism with Chinese Characteristics
China believes in multilateralism and promotes it in the world. The world is facing unprecedented challenges. Therefore, peace and development have been the common interests of the world. Multilateralism is the key to global development and the future of humanity in the world.
China is also committed to making a global community based on shared interests. China is also committed to the United Nations that promotes multilateralism in the world. Hence, it has also been a strong supporter of multilateralism to deal with international challenges such as Climate change; peace and security; nuclear proliferation; and international rule of law.
Climate change has been warning the world of its disastrous effects if actions are not taken to deal with it. Climate change is a global problem; therefore China urges the world to cooperate in this sensitive issue.
China stressed that countries should be ready for compromise in their little conflicts with other states and should cooperate for the greater good of the world. Therefore, Chinese officials met with the special climate envoys of other countries to discuss the climate change challenges and mutual concerns of the world including the officials of the United States.
Meeting of Climate Envoys
In this regard, the Chinese special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua met with his American counterpart, John Kerry. Both parties emphasized enhancing cooperation in the fight against climate change. They stressed that there is no place for incompetence in this global fight against climate change. Therefore, countries should immediately start implementing policies by taking concrete actions against climate change.
Xie Zhenhua is also leading the Chinese delegation at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. He has also urged that the developed countries do more to win the fight against climate change. The Chinese envoy said that the developed states should help and encourage developing states to take concrete actions against climate change.
Chinese Envoy also emphasized the fund for the developing states in which it was agreed to collect 100 billion dollars for the developing states but the fund hasn’t been collected yet. The Chinese envoy stated that fundraising is very important in addressing the climate challenges of the world.
China appreciates US return to Paris Agreement
China also appreciated the pledge from the US to return to the Paris agreement after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from it unilaterally. This was a welcome move from the US as being one of the largest emitters of carbon and greenhouse gases globally, US’s presence at this important agreement and following global climate change protocol was an important step towards the right direction.
China also supported the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land use. It was agreed to prevent deforestation and to promote afforestation in the declaration. The declaration stressed that forests can be the biggest weapons against climate change. Therefore, the leaders stressed accelerating the restoration of the forests.
China has been encouraging the world to take action against climate change. China has also been supporting the developing countries by providing them financial assistance and equipment to deal with hazardous environmental challenges.
It also believes that developed states can play a decisive role in the fight against climate change by assisting developing countries. Therefore, the world should be united against the global fight against climate change.
*The writer is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and The Diplomatic Insight
*The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the position of the institutions.
