Responding to Climate Change Is a Shared Responsibility for the World

应对气候变化是全球的共同责任

 

Jin Zhijian Chinese Ambassador to Iceland

驻冰岛大使金智健

 

4 May 2021

2021年5月4日

 

Climate change is a common challenge to all countries. In February this year, UN Secretary-General Guterres emphasized that 2021 would be a “critical year” for the international community to tackle climate change. Despite the fact that the world has done a lot in coping with such problem, we still remain far from reaching the goal set by the Paris Agreement. More efforts are needed in this regard by countries all over the world.

气候变化是国际社会面临的共同挑战。联合国秘书长古特雷斯今年2月份强调，2021年是国际社会应对气候变化“关键的一年”。虽然全球为应对气候变化采取了诸多举措，但离《巴黎协定》制定的目标仍有不小差距，需要世界各国做出更大努力。

 

While upholding the Paris Agreement, China has made important contributions to adopting the agreement, and made active efforts toward implementing it. China has stayed committed to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, and written the development of ecological civilization into China’s constitution. Over the years, China has actively responded to climate change, firmly followed the development path of green and low carbon, and made great achievements in carbon emissions reduction, afforestation, desertification control, energy structure improvement, and so on.

中国始终是《巴黎协定》的拥护者、践行者和贡献者。中国着力建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会，并把生态文明建设写入宪法。多年来，中国积极应对气候变化，坚定走绿色低碳发展道路，在减少碳排放、植树造林、荒漠化防治、改善能源结构等领域取得巨大成就。

 

By the end of 2019, China’s carbon intensity was about 48.1% lower than that of 2005, and the proportion of non-fossil energy in primary energy consumption rose to 15.3%. In the field of renewable energy, China ranks top worldwide in the amount of patents, investment, installed capacity and electric energy production for many years, and the installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic in China has accounted for more than 30% of the world. At the same time, China has implemented large-scale afforestation, resulting in a significant increase in forest carbon sink. In 2018, China witnessed the increasing of forest area and forest stock by 45.09 million hectares and 5.104 billion cubic meters respectively compared with the level of 2005, becoming the one with the largest growth of global forest resources in the same period. In 2020, the volume of production of new energy vehicles in China was 1,366,000 and that of marketing hit 1,367,000, making China rank first worldwide for six consecutive years.

截至2019年底，中国碳强度较2005年降低约48.1%，非化石能源占一次能源消费比重提升至15.3%。中国可再生能源领域专利数、投资、装机和发电量连续多年稳居全球第一，风电、光伏的装机规模均占全球30%以上。同时，中国实施大规模植树造林，森林碳汇大幅提升。2018年，森林面积、森林蓄积量分别比2005年增加4509万公顷、51.04亿立方米，成为同期全球森林资源增长最多的国家。中国2020年新能源汽车产量达136.6万辆，销量达136.7万辆，产销量连续六年位居全球第一。

 

On September 22, 2020, China’s president Xi Jinping solemnly announced to the world at the general debate of the 75th UN General Assembly that China would scale up its nationally determined contributions and adopt more vigorous policies and measures, and that China aimed to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. China pledged to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality within a far shorter period of time than developed countries. China is set to make strenuous efforts to realize these goals.

2020年9月22日，中国国家主席习近平在第七十五届联合国大会一般性辩论上向世界庄严承诺：中国将提高国家自主贡献力度，采取更加有力的政策和措施，二氧化碳排放力争于2030年前达到峰值，努力争取2060年前实现碳中和。中国承诺实现碳达峰碳中和的时间远远短于发达国家所用时间，中方将为此付出艰苦努力。

 

At the Climate Ambition Summit on December 12, 2020, President Xi Jinping announced China’s more specific emission reduction goals as follows: By 2030, China will lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65% from the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 %, increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts.

在2020年12月12日举行的气候雄心峰会上，习近平主席宣布了中国更具体的减排目标：到2030年，中国单位国内生产总值二氧化碳排放将比2005年下降65%以上，非化石能源占一次能源消费比重将达到25%左右，森林蓄积量将比2005年增加60亿立方米，风电、太阳能发电总装机容量将达到12亿千瓦以上。

 

On April 22 this year, when attending the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by the United States, President Xi Jinping elaborated on the multiple dimensions and core essences of the concept of “a community of life for man and Nature” for the first time, and put forward China’s proposals for strengthening global environmental governance.

习近平主席今年4月22日在出席美方主办的“领导人气候峰会”发表致辞时首次全面系统阐释了“人与自然生命共同体”理念的丰富内涵和核心要义，指出加强全球环境治理的“中国方案”。

 

These measures show that China will unswervingly follow the green and low-carbon development path, be determined to respond to global climate change, and take the responsibility to promote the building of a community with shared future for mankind. They have strongly boosted global confidence in coping with climate change, and provided powerful assistance for global climate governance. At present, China is preparing a specific plan to honor the above commitments, making practical efforts to achieve our goal in dealing with climate change, and making positive contributions to promoting global sustainable development.

这些举措表明了中国坚定不移走绿色低碳发展道路的信念，彰显了中国积极应对全球气候变化的决心，体现了中国推动构建人类命运共同体的责任担当，有力提振了全球应对气候变化的信心，为全球气候治理提供了强大助力。当前，中国正编制落实上述承诺的具体规划，为实现应对气候变化目标作出切实努力，为推进全球可持续发展作出积极贡献。

 

Moreover, China participates in close cooperation with other countries, international organizations and institutions, playing a positive role in promoting international cooperation in tackling climate change. As COVID-19 is raging the world, it is urgent for us to solve climate change. The international community should actively fulfill its political commitment, put multilateralism to action, strengthen unity and cooperation, adhere to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, jointly show political will and action, further promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement, build a fair and effective global climate governance system, and take practical actions to better respond to the challenge brought by the climate change.

中国还与各国政府、国际组织、机构，密切合作，为推动国际社会合作应对气候变化发挥着积极作用。在当今全球疫情肆虐的背景下，解决全球气候变化问题刻不容缓。国际社会应积极履行政治承诺，践行多边主义，加强团结合作，坚持“共同但有区别的责任”原则，共同展现政治意愿和行动力，进一步推动落实《巴黎协定》，构建公平、有效的全球气候治理体系，以实际行动有效应对气候变化的挑战。

 

China and Iceland share common interests in dealing with climate change. We have fruitful outcomes in cooperation in fields like geothermal and carbon cycle. Our two countries can further strengthen cooperation in fully and effectively implementing the Paris Agreement, facilitating the building of a fair, reasonable and win-win climate governance system, and achieving the “green recovery” of the world economy after the epidemic. Besides, we can work hard to deepen the information exchange and cooperation between our environmental protection departments, actively explore the possibility of cooperation in fields such as electric vehicles, wind energy and hydropower, and make due contributions to protecting our shared planet.

中国和冰岛在应对气候变化问题上有着共同利益，双方在地热、碳循环等领域的合作成果丰硕，两国可在全面有效落实《巴黎协定》、构建公平合理、合作共赢的气候治理体系、推动疫情后世界经济“绿色复苏”等方面进一步加强合作，努力深化两国政府环保部门间的信息交流与协作，积极探讨在电动汽车、风能、水力发电等领域合作的可能性，为保护地球这一人类共同家园做出应有贡献。