Current Affairs News Eyes丨Xi Jinping attended the leaders’ climate summit and proposed for the first time the establishment of a “community of human and natural life”
Special days always bring strength.
On December 12th last year, on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a historic agreement to address climate change, President Xi Jinping attended the Climate Ambition Summit.
On April 22 this year, the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement, President Xi attended the leaders’ climate summit.
The unprecedented difficulties of global environmental governance call for unprecedented ambition and action by the international community.
And China has always been the leader.
Summit on the cloud, discuss climate change again
Since last year, in numerous "cloud conferences", tackling climate change has become a key topic of discussion.
The new crown pneumonia epidemic has triggered a deep reflection on the relationship between man and nature, and the future of global climate governance has attracted more attention.
△Beijing Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech here.
(Photo by CCTV reporter Wang Ce, CCTV)
President Xi Jinping has attended important meetings such as the United Nations Biodiversity Summit, the “Guardian Earth” theme of the Riyadh Summit of the Group of Twenty Leaders, and the Climate Ambition Summit, and put forward China’s initiatives and measures.
The most striking thing is that President Xi announced at the UN General Assembly that China will strive to achieve the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
The international community generally believes that this major commitment reflects China's initiative to assume important responsibilities.
Just six days before the leaders’ climate summit, President Xi had just held a video summit with French and German leaders. This is the third time since the meeting in Paris in March 2019 and the video meeting in December 2020. Hold a meeting together.
The leaders of the three major powers talked most about how to cooperate in addressing climate change.
Common issues brought more leaders together.
April 22 also coincides with the 52nd "Earth Day".
United Nations Secretary-General Guterres disclosed a data at the leaders’ climate summit: The past 10 years have been the hottest on record. The global temperature has risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius, and "is rapidly approaching the critical value of disaster."
China's plan: jointly build a community of human and natural life
In the evening, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech by video, discussing strategies to cope with the challenges of climate change with the leaders of the meeting, and jointly seeking the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
He clearly put forward the Chinese plan-"Together to build a community of human and natural life."
More than three years ago, Xi Jinping pointed out in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: “Human and nature are the community of life.” More than three years later, the sublimated China plan shines brightly.
How to build a community of human and natural life together?
In his speech, President Xi Jinping pointed out that there must be "six persistences"—adhering to the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, adhering to green development, adhering to systematic governance, adhering to people-oriented, adhering to multilateralism, and adhering to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Green development is the fundamental policy.
President Xi pointed out at the leaders’ climate summit that protecting the ecological environment means protecting productivity, and improving the ecological environment means developing productivity. This is a simple truth.
In September last year, he emphasized at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit that we must use nature to feed all things, seek development opportunities from protecting nature, and achieve a win-win situation for ecological environment protection and high-quality economic development.
Multilateralism is the only way.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that in the face of global environmental risks and challenges, all countries are a community of shared destiny that is in the same boat. Unilateralism is unpopular, and cooperation is the right way.
At the leaders’ climate summit on the 22nd, he pointed out that we must work together and do not blame each other; we must persevere and do not change day by day; we must keep our promises and do not say nothing.
△U.S. President Biden attended the leaders’ climate summit via video.
In his speech that evening, President Xi Jinping said that China welcomes the return of the United States to the multilateral climate governance process and looks forward to working with the international community, including the United States, to promote global environmental governance.
Important cornerstone: adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities
The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the cornerstone of global climate governance.
President Xi Jinping once used an analogy: Just like a racing car, some cars have already ran a long way, and some cars have just set off. At this time, it is inappropriate and unfair to limit the speed with a uniform scale.
He extended this by saying that adhering to the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities does not mean that developing countries should not contribute to the global response to climate change, but that they must meet the capabilities and requirements of developing countries.
△ German Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the leaders’ climate summit via video.
At the opening ceremony of the Paris Conference on Climate Change held five years ago, President Xi Jinping said that the historical responsibilities, development stages, and coping capabilities of developed and developing countries are different. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is not only not outdated, but also Should be complied with.
At the leaders’ climate summit on April 22, President Xi further explained why we must adhere to this principle: We must fully affirm the contribution of developing countries to climate change and take care of their special difficulties and concerns.
Developed countries should show greater ambitions and actions, while effectively helping developing countries improve their ability and resilience to respond to climate change.
Action in China: a "hard battle" that requires hard work
Last year, President Xi Jinping officially announced that China will strive to achieve carbon peaks by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Carbon peak refers to the fact that carbon emissions cease to increase after reaching their peak, stabilize or begin to decline.
Carbon neutrality refers to the use of afforestation, energy conservation and emission reduction to offset the carbon dioxide emissions generated by oneself and reduce the net carbon emissions to zero.
How important is carbon peaking and carbon neutrality?
On March 15 this year, Xi Jinping pointed out at the ninth meeting of the Central Committee of Finance and Economics that this is a broad and profound economic and social systemic change.
At this leaders’ climate summit, he once again emphasized that this is a major strategic decision made by China based on its responsibility to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and the inherent requirements for achieving sustainable development.
How difficult is it to achieve carbon peaks and carbon neutrality?
During the video summit held with the leaders of France and Germany a few days ago, President Xi said that this means that China, as the world’s largest developing country, will complete the world’s highest reduction in carbon emission intensity and take the shortest time in global history to achieve carbon emissions. Peak to carbon neutrality.
He said, "This will undoubtedly be a tough battle."
At the leaders’ climate summit on April 22, President Xi said that China’s commitment to achieve the time from carbon peak to carbon neutrality is far shorter than the time taken by developed countries and requires hard work from China.
On January 25 this year, President Xi said at the World Economic Forum's "Davos Agenda" dialogue meeting that we believe that as long as it is something that is good for all mankind, China should be obliged to do it and do it well.
At this leaders’ climate summit, President Xi introduced the latest developments: China has incorporated carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of ecological civilization construction, is formulating a carbon peaking action plan, extensively and in-depth carbon peaking action, and supporting The localities and key industries and key enterprises that meet the conditions are the first to reach their peaks.
He particularly emphasized that China will strictly control coal power projects, strictly control the growth of coal consumption during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, and gradually decrease during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
Affected by the epidemic, some important agendas have been postponed.
The Glasgow Climate Conference, which was originally scheduled to be held last year, was postponed to this year, and the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was originally scheduled to be held in Kunming, China in May this year, was changed to October.
At the leaders’ climate summit on April 22, President Xi Jinping expressed support for the former and an invitation to the latter.
The world shares the same cool and hot, and man and nature share the same destiny.
Just as President Xi quoted an old saying at the end of his speech-"If all the forces are combined, there is nothing to do.", we will be able to build a beautiful world in which all things are harmonious.
Producer丨Shen Yong
Chief Author丨Gong Xuehui Yu Zhenyi
Vision丨Chen Kuo Zhang Jing
Editor丨Wang Jiyang Yu Mingli