Currently, the world is facing multiple challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. The international community must not only work hard to overcome various crises, but also accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
At the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held from November to December 2023, 198 parties reached the landmark "UAE Consensus", aiming to " The goal of “controlling global temperature rise within 1.5°C” remains within an achievable range. The "UAE Consensus" calls on all parties to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve net-zero emissions; it encourages all parties to submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) documents, including new specific goals such as "triple renewable energy by 2030".
How to organically integrate economic development and environmental protection? How can countries around the world jointly respond to challenges and balance economic development and environmental protection? Can China learn from the experience of other countries and find a path suitable for its own development? In this regard, "East-West Questions·China Dialogue" invited Monica J. Kerretts, a foreign expert from the United Nations Environment Program's Seventh Global Environment Outlook team GEO-7 (The Seventh Global Environment Outlook), Cornell University Professor Parfait M. Eloundou-Enyegue held a dialogue with Professor Tan Hongwei of Tongji University.
Excerpts from the conversation are as follows:
Tan Hongwei: What is the relationship between economic development and environmental protection?
Elondu-Engler:
There are two schools of thought on this issue. Some scholars believe that the two are contradictory and irreconcilable, and that we cannot take care of both. Others have a more positive attitude and believe that the two goals can be achieved at the same time.
From a theoretical perspective, those who believe it is possible to do both are known as "abundance theorists." They are very optimistic. There are three reasons why they feel optimistic. First, they believe that human beings are very smart and will find new technologies to solve problems every time they encounter them. The second reason is that from an economics and market perspective, there is a mechanism for spontaneous regulation through the market system and prices. If an environmental resource begins to decrease and becomes scarce, the cost of the resource will increase, people will not use it, and the resource will be retained. Third, as time goes by, the industry will continue to upgrade. There is not much pollution produced in the era of agricultural society, and the pollution produced in the stage of industrial society is the most dangerous. In the information society era, pollution levels will decrease again. Therefore, they believe that countries that are still highly dependent on industry need to worry about pollution, while countries that no longer rely on industry as the main source of growth do not need to worry too much.
Kretz:
I think we should not separate economic development from environmental protection. The environment is part of development and part of society. Therefore, we cannot talk about the environment in isolation from development. For example, if you want to build a road, you need to understand what the surrounding environment is like and the impact that road construction will have on the surrounding natural environment. We need to consider the environment together with other aspects. I think this is important and will change our policy design, our decision-making thinking, and the way we see the world.
Tan Hongwei: In the field of environment and climate, do countries around the world face common problems? How should challenges be met together?
Kretz:
I think European countries have always made the environment a core part of their development philosophy. And I am happy to see that the same is true in China. As I was driving from the airport to here (the venue for the conversation) in Shanghai, I could observe that (protecting) the environment is becoming a major concern. That's true whether it's around green energy or whether it's around green solutions for a variety of things. It's really great to see China leading the way in this area. However, over the years, the international media has not paid enough attention to China's work in this regard.
One of the great things for us is that we can observe China on the ground and really understand the thinking logic of China in terms of waste management and solid waste treatment. So I'm very pleased to see China taking the lead in addressing climate change. When I visited China before, I paid attention to the Service Trade Fair (China International Fair for Trade in Services) held in Beijing. At this exhibition, one of the largest service categories on display was green transformation and green environmental protection, so I Very impressed with this. I think there's a lot of discussion about China right now about how China can spread environmentally friendly technologies while cooperating with the rest of the world. I think many times, we (when looking at China), may not combine the two.
Video: [East-West Question·China Dialogue] United Nations environmental experts: China has made many efforts to address climate change and the outside world should gain a deeper understanding.
Source: China News Network
Elondu-Engler:
The world today faces many common problems. From a cognitive perspective, first of all, people around the world must be convinced that the climate problem is serious. Scientists know that the climate is changing and biodiversity is decreasing, but we have to make the world more aware of this, or we have to make everyone in the world believe that this is indeed a problem. Therefore, the first issue is to raise awareness.
Second, we must understand why the environment is changing. Some people may accept that the environment is changing but not know that humans are causing it. We also need to realize that human activities are responsible for the environment. The third step is to be prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to change the situation of environmental degradation. Saving water, saving electricity, saving energy, recycling products, not wasting food, etc. are all environmentally friendly behaviors that everyone can do on a daily basis. But we also need institutional changes to promote the development of technologies that reduce the use of fossil fuels more effectively.
Therefore, if you want to be successful in environmental governance, three steps are essential: recognize the problem and raise public awareness; recognize human responsibility and then take responsibility; make the changes we need to make to reverse this A trend.
Of course, all countries in the world must realize that it is useless to blindly accuse "China should do this first," or "Africa should do this first," or "Europe should do this first." We are one and should work together because the earth is ours (shared) and changes in the environment will affect everyone.
Tan Hongwei: What kind of cooperation can be achieved between China and other countries in terms of green development?
Elondu Engler:
I believe that China, as the world's second largest economy and an emerging economic power, can play an important role in at least three areas. First, in terms of leadership, China can demonstrate its ongoing efforts to other countries in the world, and relevant practical experience can be replicated and promoted elsewhere. When I came to China, I saw a system for classifying and managing different license plates. If your license plate is green (meaning new energy vehicle), then you can enjoy preferential policies. The second is scientific cooperation. In 2023, China hosted the "Global Environmental Scientists Conference and the Second Author Symposium of the Seventh Global Environmental Outlook", inviting scientists from all over the world to jointly think about solutions. China has indeed made great efforts to promote scientific cooperation in the region and around the world. In addition, China is becoming a major force in providing international assistance to Africa and other regions. I think the type of aid that is provided is important, and so is the area of investment. All countries have the need to invest in the green economy, and China can play an important role in global cooperation in this field.
Video: [East-West Question·China Dialogue] Cornell Scholar: China can play an important role in helping other countries invest in green economy
Source: China News Network
Kretz:
First of all, China has been playing a leading role. For example, China is a major participant in the BRICS mechanism, has invested in many African countries, and has done a lot locally. I think we need to make sure that China and African governments work together to think about the impact of the climate crisis on Africa.
In September 2023, the first African Climate Summit will be held in Nairobi. The meeting will be chaired by President Ruto of our country (Kenya). After the summit, many countries began to consider how to help the continent cope with climate change; another conclusion was that the entire carbon financing process and its implications need to be thought about.
As a member of the BRICS, China has participated in many development projects in Africa. What is worth thinking about in the future is not only Africa's development issues, but also climate change and development processes as a whole, including the deeper impacts of climate change.