Climate Change： A Common Issue

By Wang Fang



Climate Change： A Common Issue

By Wang Fang

Earthquake， storm， food and drought ... these words have appeared more frequently in newspapers in recent years. Nowadays， global warming has led to frequent extreme weather events and brought a growing threat of climate change to the whole world.

And it's the developing countries that face the greatest threat in many cases.

“Our research shows developing countries face serious climate disasters and risks，” Chao Qingchen， Deputy Director of the China's National Climate Center，told journalist of China Report ASEAN.“More than 95 percent of the deaths due to natural disasters happen in developing countries.”

According to the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2015 issued by UNESCAP， the Asia-Pacific region has become the most vulnerable area. In the last 10 years， natural disasters happening in this region accounted for 40 percent of the world total，and Southeast Asian countries who are close to a major fault of seismic activity and the tropical cyclone zone suffered 30 percent of the region's disasters. Therefore， it is important to further strengthen international cooperation and exchanges and improve regional capacity in tackling climate change.

President Xi announced that the Chinese Government would offer funds to other developing countries to take measures to combat climate change.

Climate Change： A Common Issue

Climate change has become a global issue， but ASEAN is one of the regions facing the most severe threat. In the past few years， Indonesia suffered frequent earthquakes， while the Philippines， Myanmar and Thailand were severely afflicted by typhoons and rainstorms.

In 2015， Mt. Sinabung on Sumatra in the north of Indonesia erupted； continuous heavy rain caused wide-spreading flood in Myanmar； and a typhoon swept over Aurora Province in the northeast of the Philippines...

As the biggest developing country，China also suffers frequent natural hazards from climate change. Te Disasters in Asia and the Pacific： 2014 Year in Review recorded an earthquake in Ludian in southwest China ranked third among natural disasters that brought heavy economic costs with losses reaching US$6 billion.

Public data shows the top three disasters that caused the most deaths in last 10 years were the Haiti earthquake in 2010，Myanmar tropical storm in 2008 and China's Wenchuan earthquake in the same year. In this period， natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region led to about US$500 billion in economic losses， accounting for half of the world total.

Chao Qingchen said： “We did a survey of ofcials， representatives for climate change negotiations and some technical personnel of developing countries. The results suggested that developing countries have very limited capacity in identifying the features of climate change disaster in their own area and relatively weak awareness in providing predictions for disaster preparedness and response and reduction.”

Moreover， developing countries' poor capacity in resisting natural disasters indicates the urgent need for more funding and technological support.

According to the earlier assessment of UNEP， developing countries could need between US$250 billion to US$500 billion up to 2015 to tackle the results of climate change， such as sea level rise， drought， rainstorms and other extreme weather events. And this was predicated on the global temperature rise being restricted under two degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

However， it's not easy to find this money. Funding has always been a focus at various UN Climate Change Conferences. The Copenhagen conference in 2009 and Cancun Conference in 2010 proposed that developed countries should provide US$30 billion as a Green Climate Fund for developing countries between 2010 and 2012，and achieve the goal of offering US$100 billion long-term aid each year by 2020. However， so far， the commitment hasn't been honored.

Under such circumstances， China ar ranged 270 million Yuan （US$ 41.3 million） within the framework of South-South cooperation to help developing countries to improve capacity in countering climate change in last three years. Chinese President Xi Jinping，speaking at the UN 70th anniversary meeting in September 2015，said China would promote the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change to become operational as early as possible and continue to support underdeveloped countries to address the climate change threat.

At the opening ceremony of UN Climate Change Conference in Paris，President Xi also announced that the Chinese Government would ofer funds to other developing countries to take measures to combat climate change.

H.E. Mr. Xie Zhenhua， Special Representative for Climate Change of China， and H.E. Ms. Izabella Teixeira， Minister for the Environment of Brazil， and H.E. Mr. Prakash Javadekar， Minister of State （IC） of Environment， Forests and Climate Change of India and H.E. Ms. Edna Molewa， Minister of Environmental Afairs of South Africa hand in hand at the press conference in Paris on December 8， 2015.

He said： “Next year， China will launch cooperation projects to set up 10 pilot low-carbon industrial parks， and start 100 mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries. China is to provide these developing countries with 1，000 training opportunities for tackling climate change. China will continue to promote international cooperation in such areas as clean energy， disaster prevention and mitigation， ecological protection and climate-smart agriculture， and low-carbon and smart cities. China will also help other developing countries build up their fnancing capabilities for dealing with climate change.”

China Works for Improvement

China enjoyed high speed economic development in the past few decades， but also paid a high price in terms of deteriorating resources and environment. Today，it is in the front ranks of the world in addressing climate change.

China started pilot low-carbon city projects in 2010. So far， it has set up 42 pilot low-carbon cities in provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government， covering about 40 percent of the national population. In 2011，China， for the first time， set an obligatory target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17 percent in the 12th Five-Year Program in 2011.

In 2015， a US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change was signed under which China agreed to make available 20 billion Yuan （US$ 3.1 billion）for setting up the China South-South Climate Cooperation Fund.

Te Chinese Government also submitted the Enhanced Actions on Climate Change：China's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions （INDC） to UNFCCC Secretariat to stress China's determination to achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions around 2030， followed by decline.

China has shown great sincerity in its INDC. Rachel Kyte， World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy， stated clearly at the Climate Conference in Paris that China provided a good example to the world by including package programs and setting tangible targets in its INDC.

According to public data， in 2014，China cut its energy consumption per unit of GDP and carbon dioxide emission by 29.9 percent and 33.8 percent respectively compared to 2005. In the same year， its installed capacity of renewable energy accounted for 24 percent of the world total and its newly increased installed capacity amounted to 42 percent of the total increment. China ranked frst in terms of using new energy and renewable energy.

Tackling climate change is a shared mission of the international community and an integral requirement for China to achieve scientific development. The 18th CPC National Congress stressed the priority of ecological construction. Its Fifth Plenary Session held in late October 2015 set “green development” as one of the fve core ideas of the 13th Five-Year Program.

Te government has already integrated combating climate change in its medium and long term national economic and social development plan and adheres to laying equal stress on both mitigation and adaptation for climate change.

The UN Climate Change Conference passed the Paris Agreement on December 12， 2015， with the signatures of delegates from 195 countries. This is a positive signal for achieving green， low-carbon，climate resilient and sustainable development worldwide. For China， the Agreement gives strong impetus to its own green， low-carbon and circular development in future.

“To implement the Paris Agreement and further promote the sustainable development in China， we should take the challenge of tackling climate change as an opportunity and source for impetus，” said Xie Zhenhua， China's special representative on climate change afairs. As President Xi Jinping said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Paris conference， this is not an end， but a new start.

Tackling climate change needs common efforts of international community. The National Development and Reform Commission of China has taken the lead to establish an international cooperation center for ASEAN in order to jointly improve the scientifc and technological level for addressing climate change and provide experiences and technical assistance for developing countries.

COVER STORY

Last December in Bangkok， Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Jantong laid the cornerstone of the China-Thailand Railway， ofcially launching the model project as part of increased practical cooperation between the two countries. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sent congratulatory letters to celebrate the launch.

The railway extends about 845 km with a maximum designed speed of 180 kph that can be upgraded to 250 kph. The line is divided into four sections， namely Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi， Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut， Kaeng Khoi-Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai. It passes through a total of 10 Thai provinces， linking Thailand's major cities from Map Ta Phut， an economically developed coastal city. However， it is not aimed at sightseeing.

As Thailand's first standard-gauge double-tracked railway， the project highlights the increasingly close links between the two countries. The railway is expected to start construction in May 2016. The Y-shaped line connects the agricultural base in northeast Thailand and port in the south， as well as providing access to the railway between China and Laos.

Thanks to the railway， Thailand will be linked to Southwest China that is home to 200 million people with a total economy exceeding US$1 trillion. It is a boon to facilitate people-to-people and business exchanges， and is conducive to the connectivity across Southeast Asia.

According to Charles Tong， General Manager of the Guangxi Xingmintai Logistics Co.， Ltd.， after the construction is completed， freight expenses for goods will be oneninth of those by air， which will have revolutionary impact on bilateral trade.

The railway will bring new opportunities for the logistics industry. Tong plans to set up the logistics company in Kunming to exploit the logistics market in China. Zhu Xijun，General Manager of the Southeast Asia Branch of the China Railway Construction Corporation， said the railway will bring about many changes to the cooperation between China and Thailand in various areas.

Its operation will attract two million more Chinese tourists to Thailand， further facilitate the export of Thai agricultural products， and make Thailand a transportation hub in ASEAN. The railway cooperation project will also benefit the economic and social development in Thailand.

The China-Thailand Railway is another “go global” representative project next to the high-speed rail in Indonesia that adopts Chinese standards， technology and equipment. As a matter of fact， the railway will not only help elevate train speeds， but also integrate economy， culture and other social resources to enhance overall living standards.