Clamping Down on Climate Change

　　“If not me， then who？ If not now， then when？ Ifnot here， then where？” This was the recent call to actionby leading Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei， posted onWeChat， a popular socialnetworking media app.

　　Su is the deputy chief of the Chinese delegation tothe 19th Conference of the Parties of the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change and Director General ofthe Department of Climate Change at the National Developmentand Reform Commission (NDRC). This conferenceran from November 11-22， 2013， in Warsaw， Poland.The conclusion that human activity is responsible forclimate change has been further strengthened in theFifth Assessment Report of the United Nations IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change. The global impactof climate change has become increasingly prominent，posing perhaps the most severe environmental challengeto the planet.

　　Though the international community has reached anoverwhelming consensus that a warming planet will bringmore natural disasters， debates over whether and howmankind should take action have never ceased.

　　At the 2013 conference， Japan said it plans to scaleback its emission targets citing the aftermath of the 2011earthquake and tsunami， which forced it to close 50 of itsnuclear power plants. Australia， however， as a long-timedissenter in climate talks， is reportedly set to repeal thecarbon tax and dismantle all climate institutions and initiatives.Su said he was disappointed beyond words whenthe two countries made their announcements， cryingout for countries to unite and work together forthe sake of the environment.

　　Key agenda

　　Asking developed countries to honor their commitmentsto provide capital assistance and offerenvironmentally friendly technology transferto developing countries remained a majorpoint of dispute during the conference.

　　“Finance is key to the success of the Warsawconference，” agreed high-level officials ofBASIC (China， Brazil， South Africa， and India)at a seminar held at the China Pavilion inWarsaw on November 20， 2013.

　　They urged developed countries to follow through withtheir obligations to provide $100 billion each year to developingcountries in order to help fund their efforts to copewith issues related to climate change for the period from2013 to 2020 in a measurable and verifiable manner.

　　Developed countries， while taking a moral high road intheir climate rhetoric， are reluctant to provide assistance.The recent financial crisis has further hardened their resistanceover the issue， warned Chinese experts.

　　Tod Stern， special envoy for climate change for theU.S. Government， said in terms of providing funding fordeveloping countries， the United States would like to invitethe private sector to join the initiatives. “It could be a loan，could be a loan guarantee， it could be risk insurance，” saidStern in a press conference held in Washington， D.C. onNovember 9.

　　As a response， Xie Zhenhua， head of the Chinesedelegation at the 2013 UN climate conference，insisted the funding come from the governments，or the public sector， instead of the private sector.

　　China in action

　　“Honestly， China is the biggest producer of greenhousegases，” admitted Xie. “There is no need todeny it.”

　　China is deeply concerned about excess carbonemissions and climate change not becauseof external forces but because of its inner desireto create a clean and healthy environment， Xiesaid.

　　The toxic air and polluted water pose a major threat topeople’s health. The worst smog episodes ever witnessedin many parts of China serve as a wake-up call for Chinesecitizens and officials.

　　In a top-level decision made at the Third Plenary Sessionof the 18th Central Committee of Communist Partyof China， which closed on November 12， 2013， Chinavowed to keep a close eye on environmental protectionmatters and will make legislative efforts to monitor andcontrol air， land and water pollution.

　　“I heard about the mention that carbon trading is apriority， and as a U.S. citizen I can only dream that ournational government would make such a statement inone of our policy platforms，” said Derek Walker， AssociatePresident with Environmental Defense Fund. He urgedthe U.S. federal government to work proactively andaggressively on climate change policies that will make adifference in people’s lives.

　　Though China is now the second largest economy inthe world， the average wealth of its 1.3 billion populationfails to match its prominent international status. In 2012，China’s per-capita GDP was registered at $6，000， ranking87th in the world， behind some African countries such asGabon， Mauritius and South Africa. The current challengesfacing China include the task of developing its economy，eradicating poverty and improving people’s lives whileactively confronting the threats brought about by climatechange.

　　“We have nowhere to go if we don’t tackle the problemsof climate change，” said Xie.

　　To promote the concept of carbon reduction and raisecitizens’ awareness of climate change， China has initiatedfive pilot carbon trade centers across the country bythe end of 2013. They are places where companies withfewer carbon emissions can sell their excess pollutionquota to heavily polluting companies.

　　Matthew Rodriquez， California Secretary for EnvironmentalProtection， said he is impressed by the ChineseGovernment’s efficiency in launching carbon trade systems.“While it takes California six years to get started， it’staking China six months to get started. That’s a remarkableachievement.”

　　China pledged to cut carbon emissions by 40-45percent in 2020 compared with that of 2005， and theproportion of non-fossil fuels will account for 15 percentof all energy used in the country. Xie said the target isambitious because the development of hydropower andnuclear energy has been stalled in China. But he reassuredthat China will employ all measures to guaranteethese goals.

　　Key decisions adopted inWarsaw include advancingthe Durban Platform， the Green Climate Fund and Long-Term Finance， and the Warsaw International Mechanismfor Loss and Damage.