China aims for building new pattern of global environmental governance

Photo taken on April 15, 2021, shows over 10,000 residents from all walks of life in Zhangye, northwest China's Gansu province, participating in an afforestation activity. [People's Daily Online/Wang Jiang]

Chinese President Xi Jinping expounded on China's actions and plan for coping with global climate change from the perspective of building a community with a shared future for mankind at a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 16.

"I announced that China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. It means China, as the world's largest developing country, will complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity, and realize carbon neutrality from carbon peaking in the shortest time in global history," Xi said at the summit.

Responding to climate change is the common cause of all humanity as well as an important aspect of global ecological civilization construction, and concerns the wellbeing and future of mankind.

China will adhere to the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, promote the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, and actively develop South-South cooperation on climate change, Xi noted.

China's stance and commitment demonstrate its sense of responsibility as a major participant, contributor, and leader in building a global ecological civilization.

China has made clear to the world its determination to help deal with climate change during many international occasions, including the General Debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Climate Ambition Summit, as well as the recent video summit between China, France and Germany.

Macron said that France welcomes China's announcement to become carbon-neutral before 2060 and that such a massive commitment reflects China's initiative to assume significant responsibilities.

Merkel believes that the nationally determined contributions China announced are both ambitious and challenging and are very important to coping with climate change globally.

It is generally believed by the international community that at such a critical moment of global climate governance, China's active actions for promoting high-quality development and speeding up green transformation have served as good examples for other countries.

China has included peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality into its overall plans for advancing ecological civilization, and comprehensively pushed forward with the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy.

Through arduous efforts and steady progress, the country is seeing bluer sky, greener mountains and clearer rivers, and the miracles it has frequently created in ecological preservation have impressed the world.

Satellite images suggest China's contributions account for about a quarter of the increase in global green leaf area between 2000 and 2017, the largest proportion among that of all countries.

China's forest carbon absorption has benefited the world in a way that exceeds original expectations, according to research findings published on Nature, a British weekly scientific journal.

The country's Three-North Shelter Forest Program has been acknowledged as a global ecological economy demonstration zone by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Constructors of the Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm in north China's Hebei province and the Green Rural Revival Program of east China's Zhejiang province that aims to improve the living environment of villages have won Champions of the Earth Award, the United Nations' highest environmental honor.

As a practitioner of ecological civilization and an active participant in global climate governance, China has secured universally recognized achievements in pursuing green development.

By heightening cooperation with other countries and fostering synergy in addressing climate change, China is increasingly involved in global environmental governance.

From promoting the adoption of the Paris Agreement to fully practicing the UNFCCC, from setting up South-South cooperation fund on climate change to vigorously advancing green construction of the Belt and Road, China has always adhered to the idea of building a community with a shared future for humanity and multilateralism, worked with the rest of the world to promote global ecological civilization construction, and facilitated the building of a fair and reasonable and win-win global climate governance system through stronger international cooperation on climate change.

As of the end of 2020, China had carried out international cooperation and exchanges on ecological preservation with over 100 countries, and signed about 150 eco-environmental protection cooperation documents with more than 60 countries, and international and regional organizations.

International observers pointed out that China has been at the forefront of conducting international cooperation in global climate governance.

The global challenge of climate change is just like a vast ocean where cooperation is indispensable to countries.

China will sincerely join hands with global partners, actively participate in important multilateral agendas, and continuously inject new impetus in and open up new prospects for creating a new pattern of global environmental governance. 

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.