Uniting against climate change

Sino-French declaration lays foundation for Paris summit

China and France issued a joint presidential statement on climate change on Nov 2 during a visit by President Francois Hollande to Beijing, building diplomatic momentum for a strong outcome at the summit in Paris at the end of the month.

Both nations agreed that a new global agreement should include provisions for regularly updating countries' nationally determined contributions for cutting emissions and support a review every five years.

President Xi Jinping said China firmly supports France in hosting the upcoming climate change summit, when he met with visiting French President Francois Hollande in Beijing on Nov 2. Wu Zhiyi / China Daily

They also stressed the importance of shifting the global economy onto a low-carbon path moving toward clean energy systems to meet the challenge of capping warming below two degrees.

China firmly supports France in hosting the United Nations climate change conference and hopes it can achieve balanced results, President Xi Jinping said while meeting Hollande.

The two countries also reaffirmed their resolve to work together, and with other countries, to reach an "ambitious and legally binding" agreement in Paris on the basis of equity and reflecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities.

Leaders of 190 nations will gather in Paris over 12 days from Nov 30 to discuss a new global agreement on climate change that is expected to lead to an action plan after 2020 to avoid the catastrophic results of global warming.

France has given priority to building momentum in the fight against climate change, and Hollande is determined to make his mark on history by brokering an agreement to address the problem.

The joint declaration between China and the host country lays the foundation for a solid outcome in Paris, although there are still disputes and tensions between countries following last month's UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, the last round before the Paris summit, observers said.

Deepening South-South cooperation and South-North cooperation are equally important, said Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative for climate change at a news conference in Beijing on Oct 31.

This year China has issued joint announcements on climate change with the United States, the European Union, Brazil and India.

"China has adopted a more active and bold attitude this year, compared with six years ago when the Copenhagen meeting was held," said Li Shuo, a senior campaigner at Greenpeace China. "Also, China sees declining coal consumption and robust momentum for renewable energies. All indicate that China is on track to become a global climate leader."

Leaders have stepped up their efforts in exchanging views before the summit and say finance will be a decisive factor at the meeting.

Climate change ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China, also known as the BASIC countries, met in Beijing last month at the two-day 21st BASIC ministerial meeting on climate change.

As emerging developing countries, the four share common grounds on crucial issues.

Developed countries should define a clear path toward achieving their goal of providing $100 billion per year by 2020, Xie said. In addition, "developed countries should substantially increase their support after 2020, with $100 billion a year as a starting point."

Developing countries need the financial resources, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support from developed countries to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce likely damage from climate change.

Ministers expressed their "unequivocal commitment" toward a successful outcome in Paris and committed to work with other parties to reach an "equitable, ambitious, comprehensive, balanced and durable" Paris agreement.

Izabella Teixeira, Brazil's environment minister, said the BASIC countries are committed to addressing climate change and sustainable development and want an agreement based on solutions.

The Paris agreement will be in full accordance with the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, ministers said at the Beijing meeting.

Also, differentiation between developed and developing countries should be reflected in each element of the agreement, according to a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting.

Contributions should be nationally determined and comprehensive, covering mitigation, adaptation and provision of support by developed countries to developing countries, ministers said.

BASIC countries are taking robust action domestically, despite the multiple social and economic challenges facing them, Xie said.

For instance, China pledges to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60 to 65 percent from the 2005 level by 2030, and peak its emissions by around 2030.

Developed countries should revisit and increase their emissions reduction commitments under the convention or the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the statement said.

"Developing countries have pledged more than their fair share, and developed countries pledged less than their fair share," said Prakash Javadekar, India's minister of state for the environment, forests and climate change.

More than 150 countries are presenting national commitments, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate program with the World Resources Institute, says that with such commitments, there was now an unprecedented level of cooperation on climate change.

"The Paris agreement has not yet been sealed, but is already raising our sights about what's possible."

A UN report issued on Oct 30 found that current commitments are not enough to meet the world's needs.

"Countries must accelerate their efforts after the Paris summit in order to stave off climate change," Mogan says.

China will make new contributions to global ecological security by sticking to green development, a notice from the Communist Party of China Central Committee said on Oct 31, when it announced broad proposals for the country's 13th Five-Year Plan. The plan also cited construction of a highly efficient modern energy system and the promotion of zero emission projects.

Dennis Pamlin, founder of 21st Century Frontiers, a consultancy in Sweden, says it was encouraging to see China embedding the environment in its economic planning. "It's a very encouraging thing. Now it's not something stopping development, but something encouraging development."

lanlan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/06/2015 page14)