China’s response to global warming of 1.5 ℃
By Jiang Wei |
chinawatch.cn |
Updated: 2019-07-15 15:46
In a statement issued with France and the UN during the G20 summit in Osaka last month, China was committed to enhance its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Prior to that, on April 1, 2019, an international conference for the enhancement of synergistic interaction between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Copenhagen confirmed that it is imperative to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels to meet the goals set in the 2030 Agenda.
The contracting parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have proposed “holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels” in Paris Agreement in 2015. In order to realize this goal, in 2018, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was invited to write a Special Report on Global Warming and set 1.5 C as the new target for temperature increase. This marks the new era for greenhouse gas emission reduction.
It is worth noting that, compared to 2°C, the climate model shows that a 1.5°C temperature increase has significant benefits: less extreme weather, lower probability of floods and drought, slower sea level rise, less impact on biodiversity and the ecosystem, and less related risks (disease spreading, crop failure, water shortage). However, a rise of 1.5°C requires stricter actions in reducing carbon emissions.
As a responsible major country, China is playing an important role in realizing the goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C. China’s National Climate Change Plan (2014-2020), Enhanced Actions on Climate Change: China’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, and the Third National Assessment Report on Climate Change, and China's Policies and Actions on Climate Change: 2017 Annual Report, have all proposed related strategic plans and policy advice for climate change and carbon emission reduction.
However, as shown in IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, mitigating climate change would require unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society. For example, readjusting the industrial structure, optimizing the energy structure, limiting the greenhouse gas emissions in the areas of agriculture, architecture and transportation, and increased greenhouse gas absorption. As Liu Zhenmin, UN under-secretary-general for Economic and Social Affairs pointed out at the Copenhagen conference in April, energy transformation is key to reducing greenhouse gas emission.
At the same time, increasing greenhouse gas absorption and storage is another key approach to tackle climate change.
China has contributed significant efforts in both limiting greenhouse gas and increasing greenhouse gas absorption.
In terms of absorption, the forest carbon pool has been increased. And China has implemented a natural forest protection project and turned more marginal farmland into woodland since 1998, to protect current and newly added forests.
As of 2019, the natural forest protection project has made great progress, with a net increase of forestry area of about 10 million hectares, and a net increase of forest stock volume of 725 million cubic meters. The natural forest volume has increased from 9.07 billion cubic meters to 13.67 billion cubic meters in 20 years.
As for the project of converting farmland to forest, from 2014 to 2018, the accumulated forest returned had reached 3.65 million hectares.
In terms of emission reduction, China strives to develop clean energy, apart from strict control over coal consumption and clean utilization of fossil fuel.
China’s national renewable energy installed power generation capacity had now reached 650 million kwh, a year-on-year growth of 14 percent.
China’s renewable power generation capacity comprises 36.6 percent of its total installed electricity capacity, with a year-on-year growth of 2.1 percent.
In 2017, the country’s total capacity of hydro, wind and solar power generation was 160 million kwh, a 98.9 billlion kwh increase from last year. And by taking a series of steps, Chinese energy structure has been further optimized.
The author is assistant professor with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.
All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.
In a statement issued with France and the UN during the G20 summit in Osaka last month, China was committed to enhance its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Prior to that, on April 1, 2019, an international conference for the enhancement of synergistic interaction between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Copenhagen confirmed that it is imperative to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels to meet the goals set in the 2030 Agenda.
The contracting parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have proposed “holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels” in Paris Agreement in 2015. In order to realize this goal, in 2018, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was invited to write a Special Report on Global Warming and set 1.5 C as the new target for temperature increase. This marks the new era for greenhouse gas emission reduction.
It is worth noting that, compared to 2°C, the climate model shows that a 1.5°C temperature increase has significant benefits: less extreme weather, lower probability of floods and drought, slower sea level rise, less impact on biodiversity and the ecosystem, and less related risks (disease spreading, crop failure, water shortage). However, a rise of 1.5°C requires stricter actions in reducing carbon emissions.
As a responsible major country, China is playing an important role in realizing the goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C. China’s National Climate Change Plan (2014-2020), Enhanced Actions on Climate Change: China’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, and the Third National Assessment Report on Climate Change, and China's Policies and Actions on Climate Change: 2017 Annual Report, have all proposed related strategic plans and policy advice for climate change and carbon emission reduction.
However, as shown in IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, mitigating climate change would require unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society. For example, readjusting the industrial structure, optimizing the energy structure, limiting the greenhouse gas emissions in the areas of agriculture, architecture and transportation, and increased greenhouse gas absorption. As Liu Zhenmin, UN under-secretary-general for Economic and Social Affairs pointed out at the Copenhagen conference in April, energy transformation is key to reducing greenhouse gas emission.
At the same time, increasing greenhouse gas absorption and storage is another key approach to tackle climate change.
China has contributed significant efforts in both limiting greenhouse gas and increasing greenhouse gas absorption.
In terms of absorption, the forest carbon pool has been increased. And China has implemented a natural forest protection project and turned more marginal farmland into woodland since 1998, to protect current and newly added forests.
As of 2019, the natural forest protection project has made great progress, with a net increase of forestry area of about 10 million hectares, and a net increase of forest stock volume of 725 million cubic meters. The natural forest volume has increased from 9.07 billion cubic meters to 13.67 billion cubic meters in 20 years.
As for the project of converting farmland to forest, from 2014 to 2018, the accumulated forest returned had reached 3.65 million hectares.
In terms of emission reduction, China strives to develop clean energy, apart from strict control over coal consumption and clean utilization of fossil fuel.
China’s national renewable energy installed power generation capacity had now reached 650 million kwh, a year-on-year growth of 14 percent.
China’s renewable power generation capacity comprises 36.6 percent of its total installed electricity capacity, with a year-on-year growth of 2.1 percent.
In 2017, the country’s total capacity of hydro, wind and solar power generation was 160 million kwh, a 98.9 billlion kwh increase from last year. And by taking a series of steps, Chinese energy structure has been further optimized.
The author is assistant professor with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.
All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.
