Heavy | German scholar Kuhn: "Will China save the earth?"

(Question about things) Heavy|German scholar Kuhn: "Will China save the earth?"

　　China News Agency, Berlin, July 6, title: German scholar Kuhn: "Will China save the earth?"

　　China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei

　　From Kyoto in 1997, to Copenhagen in 2009, to Paris in 2014... The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference quietly witnessed China's "role change" in global climate governance.

Berthold Kuhn, a political scholar at the Free University of Berlin and senior economic adviser to the European Commission, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Ask East and West" and said that China is far more on the issue of climate change than it was more than two decades ago. Being more active and taking on greater global responsibilities is commendable.

Berthold Kuhn.

Photo by Peng Dawei

　　He emphasized that some politicians in the West believe that it is possible to sanction China on the one hand and seek China’s cooperation in climate and anti-epidemic on the other. This is a naive idea.

He believes that Europe should handle relations with China in a longer-term perspective.

　　Berthold Kuhn was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1965. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Leipzig. His main research areas are international comparative climate policy, global megatrends and international cooperation, and sustainable development.

He has served as a senior consultant for the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the United Nations Development Program.

Video link interview with Kuhn screen.

Photo by Peng Dawei

The summary of the interview record is as follows:

China News Service reporter: Hello, Dr. Kuhn, I have discussed climate topics with you many times before the emergence of the new crown epidemic. At that time, you recommended me to read Barbara Finamore, a famous environmental scholar at the Oxford Energy Institute ( "Will China Save the Earth?" by Barbara Finamore)

"This book.

What is your own answer to this proposition?

Kuhn:

China is now the world's most important greenhouse gas emitter, and will become the world's largest economy in the future. Therefore, China's actions are undoubtedly related to the overall situation of the global response to climate change.

If you want to ask "What can China do to save the planet", first of all, China is reducing its dependence on coal energy. The proportion of energy consumption has dropped from about 70% to less than 60%. What needs to be seen is this. The proportion is still high. China needs to continue its efforts to reduce coal, both domestically and overseas investment projects.

However, China is also working hard to achieve its goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions.

In the field of investment, especially in countries along the “Belt and Road”, how China increases green investment is also a very important aspect.

China has invested in many coal-related projects in foreign countries, and recent developments show that China's overseas investment is transforming in a greener direction.

　　Generally speaking, China still has great potential in addressing climate change, especially in improving energy efficiency. So far, China has become the global investment champion in the field of renewable energy and has made great progress in the field of energy efficiency.

At the same time, there are indeed many thermal power plants operating in China, so China's next step in energy conservation and emission reduction has attracted much attention.

I think if China shows courage and courage, it will definitely make a great contribution to saving the planet.

Data map: A glimpse of the windy area in the southeast of Hami City, Xinjiang.

Photo by Chen Jianjun

China News Service: Luxembourg Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna recently recalled his participation in the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 as the spokesperson of the EU delegation.

He recalled that China, like other developing countries, believed that its main task was to develop its economy.

Pierre Gramenia lamented that just over 20 years later, China has not only developed into the world’s second largest economy, but also more autonomously committed to fulfilling the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, laying a foundation for the world’s goal of addressing climate change An important foundation.

Looking at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009, Western public opinion almost criticized China at that time.

But soon, people saw the key role China played in the process of reaching the Paris Agreement.

People are now discussing how China will save the planet.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also stated on many occasions recently that “no solution will be found without China” on issues such as climate change and biodiversity.

How do you see the changing role of China?

Kuhn:

Over the years, the world has been progressing. We have more scientific data about the real existence of climate change, we have also witnessed more hurricanes, and the scale of damage caused by climate change has become greater.

China has achieved a path change on the issue of climate change, and it is far more active than it was more than 20 years ago. This deserves our appreciation.

(Compared with the climate conferences in Kyoto and Copenhagen) China's economy has become stronger and it has assumed greater global responsibilities.

Times have changed, and now we can commend China for its steps in the field of climate, and many other countries are also advancing with the times.

Regrettably, the United States did not follow this trend during the Trump administration.

　　In my opinion, most experts in the field of climate recognize that China is now the country with the largest investment in renewable energy in the world and has made significant progress in improving energy efficiency.

All of these play an important role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In the process of addressing climate change by the 77-nation group of developing countries, China has also actively carried out South-South cooperation with these countries.

China also adheres to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" to help developing countries accelerate their green and low-carbon transition.

　　China has played a very important role in promoting the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and the subsequent climate negotiations.

I used to teach at Xiamen University. A study we completed at that time showed that the Copenhagen Climate Conference was actually a watershed in China’s response to climate change, or it could be called a "wake-up bell."

After the Copenhagen Conference, a large number of research institutions and researchers on climate change emerged in China.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection of China has also been "upgraded" to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in recent years.

Many cities, including Beijing, have launched major projects to combat climate change.

　　To sum up, we see that China has made a lot of progress, in keeping with the trend of increasing efforts in response to climate change in many countries around the world.

What is happening in China today is of great significance to the entire world.

As China gradually becomes an economic power and a major emitter, China must also realize that the pressure on it from the outside world will only increase rather than decrease.

The situation has changed, and China has adapted to the new situation.

(China's latest "dual carbon" climate goal) is definitely a wise decision.

Compared with some other countries, China has a strong "technology oriented" (technology oriented), China's economy has a strong ability to innovate, and the Chinese leadership also attaches great importance to major human concerns on a global scale.

In fact, the "Community of a Shared Future for Mankind" proposed and actively advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping was written into China's newly revised constitution in 2018.

Data map: A scene of photovoltaic power generation in Baicheng City, Jilin Province.

Photo by Pan Shengyu

China News Agency reporter: You wrote an article in the German media earlier this year, opposing the Western practice of "beating China" (China Bashing) through rhetoric and sanctions.

However, the United States and the European Union now seem to want to adopt a new way to define China, which can be roughly summed up as "China is simultaneously a partner, a competitor, and a system rival."

It seems that on the one hand, the United States and the European Union want to seek cooperation with China on climate and vaccines, while on the other hand they regard China as an "institutional adversary", accusing and even sanctioning and "decoupling" it.

Kuhn:

I don't think this will happen.

Many Western political leaders are naive on this issue.

Of course, considering the history of Germany, it may be difficult to understand from a Chinese perspective, why a country that has experienced the dark history of the Nazis now wants to tell China how to "improve human rights."

However, it should not be overlooked that many people in German society are naturally concerned about the human rights situation in the world today because of the Nazi history they learned in school and their own family's experience with the Nazis.

Germany has become a staunch supporter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany have also raised Germans’ concerns about human rights and political freedom.

　　Of course, I fully agree with what you said, sanctioning China is meaningless.

This is true even from the perspective of geopolitics and power games.

As I mentioned in the article, sanctions rarely achieve their goals.

If a relatively small economy sanctions a relatively large economy, it is even more unrealistic and will lead to counterattacks.

Frankly speaking, I cannot understand why European political leaders and experts on China issues openly called for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

If they do so, they must be prepared to bear the consequences-boycotting the Winter Olympics will have a serious impact on the reputation of the EU and EU products.

In this process, Germany's reputation and soft power will also be affected, which will threaten the Chinese market, one of the most important markets for German products.

　　Therefore, if you really want to impose sanctions on China, you should also inform the public of the serious consequences that this approach may bring to your country, and allow the society to fully debate before making a decision.

However, European political leaders want short-term benefits, and they want to get votes in the upcoming elections, instead of worrying about other matters, such as "what kind of long-term impact this might have on the European economy?"

Data map: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot and Winter Paralympic mascot dolls sold in the flagship store of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Du Yang

China News Agency reporter: The old Ruhr industrial zone in Germany was once heavily polluted, but it is now rejuvenated after treatment.

What experiences and lessons do Germany and Europe have in building an ecological civilization for China to refer to?

Kuhn:

Today's Ruhr area still faces some challenges.

Structural transformation is not easy and takes a long time.

The “Belt and Road” initiative and the China-Europe Railway Express have played a very good role in promoting the transformation of the economic structure of this region.

The trend we are seeing now is that sustainability, climate action and environmental protection have become mainstream. This trend is creating new opportunities, but in an aging society, this also means a challenge: people’s life expectancy is longer, if Unemployed at the age of 50 or 60 will make it difficult to adapt to the new economic form.

But in any case, sustainable production and consumption are part of the sustainable development goals and are the future trend. We have no choice.

Responding to climate change is an action in which countries all over the world are "all in the same boat". It is not just governments on board, but also the private sector.

Data map: Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

Photo by Qian Chenfei

　China News Agency reporter: China is about to start online trading on the national carbon market. How can China, Europe and China and Germany strengthen cooperation in the field of low-carbon transformation in the future?

　　Kuhn: It is

very important to launch a national carbon market.

Prior to this, China had accumulated experience in piloting a regional carbon emissions trading mechanism.

The real challenge is how to cover as many industrial categories as possible.

The current carbon market that China intends to launch only covers the power generation industry, which is not enough.

Compared with the EU's carbon market, China still has a long way to go in the future.

In addition, carbon pricing is also a very important aspect.

The European Union made a mistake in this regard when designing the carbon market. In the first years of launching the carbon market, industrial companies did not have enough pressure to reduce emissions because they received too many emission allowances.

　　China can learn from the mistakes made by the EU-if designed properly, the carbon market can operate very efficiently.

I think the development of China's carbon market will be a gradual process, and I also believe that what the Chinese government hopes to do is to negotiate with industry associations and business leaders to eventually enable this market to cover more industries.

And once the carbon market covers more industries, the society's emphasis on reducing emissions will increase accordingly.

This may mean a huge amount of work, especially for smaller industries, requiring every company to report emissions is very heavy.

But the ultimate development direction should undoubtedly be full coverage.

(Finish)