China wants fewer “empty slogans” in COP28 but avoids reduction commitments

Countries should avoid "empty slogans" and adopt a pragmatic approach to climate change that reflects concerns such as energy security, employment and growth, said the director of the climate office at China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Xia Yingxian, this Friday.

The next United Nations climate summit (COP28) begins on 30 November in Dubai and will focus on gaps in the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, based on the report on the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDC).

China, the world's largest coal consumer and leading emitter of greenhouse gases, has been reluctant to commit to any phase-out of fossil fuel use.

For the director of the climate office at China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the richest countries must fulfil their promise to make $100 billion in annual financing available to the poorest countries and create a financial mechanism for "losses and damages" and double adaptation funds.

According to the global assessment published by the UN in September, the world is behind in climate objectives and measures are needed "on all fronts"

"Developed countries have an unequivocal responsibility for global climate change and, at the same time, have the effective capacity to deal with climate change," said Xia Yingxian at a press conference in Beijing.

China refuses to eliminate fossil fuels

According to a global assessment published by the United Nations in September - the so-called global stocktake - the world is behind about climate objectives and measures are needed "on all fronts" to keep the rise in temperatures within reach. of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Xia Yingxian said the COP28 meeting must respect each country's "different starting points and national conditions." "Empty slogans that are divorced from reality and one size fits all may seem ambitious, but they undermine the multilateral climate change process," he said.

"COP28 must promote effective coordination between addressing climate change and poverty eradication, energy security, job creation, economic development and other needs," he added.

The official stated that China has already made "historically notable contributions" to the fight against climate change, reducing carbon intensity by 51% since 2005, increasing the percentage of energy from non-fossil fuels to 17.5% of total consumption. (consumption continues to increase) and contributing to multilateral climate cooperation.

China's top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, told a roundtable with diplomats last month that phasing out fossil fuels was "unrealistic", but said China would be open to setting a global energy target renewable during the talks.

Meanwhile, the state-run China Daily reports that Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the US, recently remarked that he expects China's demand for agricultural products to further increase, creating "new opportunities for the China-US cooperation in agricultural technology cooperation and green development".

Francis Rooney, a retired Republican politician, presents a commentary in Politico, arguing that the US should develop a carbon pricing mechanism to both address climate change and counter “China’s expanding economic and military influence.

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