“Carbon Equality” to Address Climate Change| ZHOU Talks about Ecological Civilization
Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, answered questions about coping with the extreme climate in July 2023, which is the highest average global temperature since meteorological records began and maybe the hottest month in 120,000 years.
Q1: In order to deal with this extreme climate, how should the countries of the world face together? What are some good experiences worth learning from?
Dr. Zhou: An American scholar published an article in the wake of last year's floods in Pakistan, which caused great environmental damage and displaced millions of people. He argued that this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster. It is a direct consequence of the "stock" and "increase" in emissions from developed countries since the Industrial Revolution. If there is a court, the defendants are the developed industrial countries.
In the face of today's climate crisis, we have proposed common but differentiated responsibilities, that is, everyone has a responsibility, and every country has a responsibility, but the developed industrial countries should shoulder more responsibilities. Since the Industrial Revolution, developed countries have adopted an extensive development model for a long time, emitting a large amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. In dealing with the climate crisis, developed countries bear the historical responsibility, legal obligation and moral responsibility for causing global warming.
We also put forward the idea that everyone is born "carbon equal". That is, under the limited carbon resources and carbon emission rights, everyone should assume this responsibility - equal carbon emission rights and equal carbon reduction responsibilities - in today's era of rapid change, every country and every person should independently and actively assume carbon responsibilities. We should support Pakistan's reconstruction, and developed countries should support or help developing countries to improve people's livelihoods, reduce carbon emissions and reduce their carbon footprint, so as to achieve the ultimate goal of sustainable development.
Q2: What do you think the carbon peak means for global warming? What role should China play in the global carbon peak?
Dr. Zhou: China's total carbon emissions are huge, but its per capita carbon emissions are very low. China makes a lot of cars, clothes and toys. In the process of producing these products, a lot of energy and resources are consumed and a lot of carbon is emitted. However, a large amount of these products are exported to other countries. These products are used in other countries. So how to calculate the carbon footprint? We think that customers should bear the carbon responsibility. For example, Shanxi emits a lot of carbon by mining coal for power generation, but the electricity is sent to Hebei for use. Should this be counted as Shanxi's carbon emissions or Hebei's carbon emissions? Of course, Hebei's carbon emissions should be counted. This is also the embodiment of "carbon equality".
While responding to the challenge of climate change, countries should not repeat the old path of industrial civilization, but should open up a new development model with high-tech and new thinking. In the global market of division of labor and cooperation, people want to pursue a better life for all mankind at the lowest cost, but we must not only calculate in terms of economy, but also in terms of carbon accounting. We have developed a timetable, road map and construction drawings for reaching peak carbon neutrality, which is to actively reduce costs, improve efficiency and improve quality at the same time, but also make efforts to save energy and reduce carbon, and ultimately move towards sustainable development.
We should reduce our carbon emissions on a large scale by upgrading science and technology. In the process of a global carbon peak, China's commitment to the world is "carbon peak" by 2030 and "carbon neutral" by 2060. Compared with some other countries, our "two-carbon" target will take a relatively long time to complete. However, combined with China's national conditions, the proposal of the "double carbon" goal is actually very courageous. We are willing to continue to break through, and the economic and social development is far from reaching the developed countries.
Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/K_l1AYGDkpnZ2QIKSQ2Jmw
Translator: YJ
Checked by: Maggie
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