(A closer look at China) Why does Xi Jinping regard the realization of the "dual carbon" goal as a "systematic change"?

  China News Service, Beijing, March 21 (Huang Yuqin) "Achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a broad and profound economic and social systemic change."

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Director of the Central Finance and Economics Commission, said this when he presided over the ninth meeting of the Central Finance and Economics Commission on March 15.

  As the world’s largest energy producer and consumer, China’s “timetable” and “road map” for the “dual-carbon” goal since China clearly stated that it will strive to achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 "It has always attracted the attention of observers at home and abroad.

  This time, China’s top leaders once again pointed out the importance of achieving carbon peaks and carbon neutrality, treating it as an “economic and social systemic change” and demanding that it be included in the overall layout of ecological civilization construction.

In the opinion of analysts, this latest statement once again shows that green is the background color of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, and green development is the key to China's future high-quality development.

This may be understood from three aspects.

  First of all, a comprehensive and profound economic and social systemic transformation is based on the overall difficulty of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

  Achieving the "dual-carbon" goal means that China's economic growth is deeply decoupled from carbon emissions, and China's current energy structure is dominated by high-carbon fossil energy, and the total energy consumption is still on the upward path.

Some public opinion believes that as the world's largest developing country, China's current carbon emission scale, industry structure, and resource and energy structure all indicate that achieving the "dual carbon" goal is not easy.

  Professor Zhu Lijia of the Central Party School (National School of Administration) analyzed that it is precisely based on this difficulty that China needs to force reforms with carbon reduction goals and carry out comprehensive and deep systemic changes in development methods, energy structure, and social concepts. .

  For example, this change must cover both the country's development methods and social life concepts, which can be described as "widespread and profound."

Lin Boqiang, dean of the China Energy Policy Research Institute of Xiamen University, said that high-quality development is needed at the national level, and renewable energy and clean energy are developed from the supply side.

The public needs to recognize green and low-carbon lifestyles and change consumer behavior to promote low-carbon transformation of market players.

  Another example is that this change involves both "visible hands" and "invisible hands."

Experts in the industry have pointed out that if carbon emission regulation is a typical government action and a "visible hand", the carbon emission trading market is an "invisible hand". It is necessary to use a stable price and an active market to give full play to carbon emissions. The restraint effect of transactions on corporate carbon emissions.

  Secondly, from the perspective of urgency, systemic changes can make the curve from carbon peak to carbon neutrality smoother and achieve a soft landing.

  Experts generally believe that if China is to achieve carbon peaks by 2030, the most important thing is to carry out economic and social systemic changes during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period and accelerate the formation of an industrial structure, production methods, and life that conserve resources and protect the environment. Ways and spatial patterns can ensure that the carbon peak is achieved before 2030 and stabilize the peak at a reasonable level, making the transition from carbon peak to carbon neutrality more stable.

  Lin Boqiang pointed out that the "14th Five-Year Plan" is the first five-year plan after the "dual-carbon" goal was proposed. Systematic changes mean avoiding the emission reduction of "first rushing high and then falling sharply" when achieving carbon peaks. Path, and strategically coordinate with the carbon neutral goal.

  At present, the reduction of 13.5% and 18% in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in China has been included in the main goals of economic and social development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.

The meeting on the 15th also set the "14th Five-Year Plan" as the key period and window period for carbon peaks, and systematic deployment was carried out in seven aspects, including the energy system, key industries, and green and low-carbon technologies.

  Zhu Lijia believes that the emission reduction efforts during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period largely determine the peak level, which is related to the success or failure of the carbon neutral goal.

From the point of view of urgency, only by carrying out systematic economic and social reforms sometimes, can we avoid “carbon peaking” from becoming a “climbing peak” and guarantee a smooth transition from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality.

  Third, China's achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutral goals will contribute to global climate governance, and the realization of systemic changes is of world significance to a certain extent.

  Six months ago, Xi Jinping announced at the General Debate of the 75th UN General Assembly that China will increase its nationally determined contributions, adopt more effective policies and measures, and strive to reach the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and strive to achieve it by 2060. Carbon neutral.

  Since then, at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit, Climate Ambition Summit, World Economic Forum "Davos Agenda" Dialogue and other important international multilateral occasions, Xi Jinping has repeatedly declared China's "dual carbon" goal.

  External comments believe that this ambitious major announcement not only demonstrates China's will to promote new development concepts, but also demonstrates China's willingness to make new contributions to the global response to climate change.

  Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson once commented that this is an important step in China's response to climate change and "will definitely have a transformative impact on global climate governance."

Reuters quoted a number of climate research institutions as saying that China's "dual carbon" commitment is the most important climate change commitment in many years.

More authoritative data analysis points out that China’s carbon neutrality by 2060 will likely advance the time for global carbon neutrality by 5 to 10 years.

  “To regard the achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutrality as a systemic change is not only aimed at domestic development, but also has global significance." Guo Yanjun, director of the Institute of Asian Studies of the China Foreign Affairs University, pointed out that many developed countries achieve carbon emissions peaking by technology, In the natural process of economic development, China is self-pressurizing and actively carrying out economic and social systemic changes in response to global climate change.

  "This also provides another reference and possibility for global climate governance worldwide." He said.

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