Chinese president calls for international cooperation in climate change

Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday called on the developed and developing countries to promote cooperation through technology exchanges and funding to tackle the problem of climate change at a dialogue session here between the leaders of G8 and those of five developing countries.

Both as an environment issue and a development issue, climate change, in the final analysis, falls in the category of development, Hu said in a speech.

Though different in perceptions and countermeasures toward the problem, different countries share a basic consensus for cooperation, dialogue and concerted efforts in meeting the challenges brought by climate change, Hu said.

The Chinese leader suggested all countries act responsibly for their peoples and the peoples around the world during their efforts to achieve development, taking into full account the tolerance of resources and the environment, balancing the development needs of the present with those of the future, and actively stepping up international cooperation against the challenges brought by climate change.

As many developing countries, including China, are currently actively developing economies as this is the most urgent task for them, the energy consumption is bound to increase, Hu mentioned. However, most of the developing countries have realized the economic development pattern characterized by high energy consumption, high pollution and high emission is non-sustainable, thus needing to be corrected quickly and resolutely, Hu added.

In his speech, Hu said that to enhance the international cooperation in climate change, it is necessary first to uphold the guiding role of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, observe such principles as "common but differentiated responsibilities" enshrined in the Convention. Hu asked the developed countries to take the lead in reducing the emission level and help developing countries to improve their capacities to deal with climate change.

Secondly, it is essential to address climate change in the context of sustainable development, change the non-sustainable way of production and consumption, improve the eco-environment by conserving resources and reducing pollution, and follow a path of development that features harmony between economic growth and protection of population, resources and the environment, Hu suggested.

Thirdly, special attention must be paid to the utilization of science and technology. Result-oriented cooperation should be strengthened to expedite the advancement and dissemination of relevant technologies, energy technologies in particular, and to facilitate the mutual reinforcement of economic development and environmental protection.

President Hu also put forward a three-point proposal on the topic.

First, explore the possibility of an effective technology dissemination mechanism against climate change. This mechanism should substantially reduce the relevant technology transfer cost, so as to let more developing countries use the affordable yet advanced environmental-friendly technologies to control climate change.

Secondly, conduct mutually beneficial technological cooperation. It is necessary to rely on the synergy of all members of the international community to research and develop the many critical energy technologies and hopefully gain an early breakthrough. China is willing to step up cooperation of various forms with other countries on this issue, including setting up demonstration projects and joint technology R&D centers in China, to develop advanced technologies for clean energies and greater energy efficiency together, Hu said.

Thirdly, ensure available funding. At present, worldwide funding for alleviating climate change falls far short of what is needed. It is suggested that a financing expert group be established to study ways of increasing different channels of financing, and easing the way for developing countries to get more funds for their efforts against climate change.

In his speech, President Hu introduced the measures China has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emission and to save energy in tackling climate change.

Achieving sustainable development is a key objective of China's economic and social development program, Hu said. To create harmonious development between man and nature, China has taken a series of policies and measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emission to alleviate climate change.

In recent years, China has sped up efforts to readjust the economic structure, transform the mode of economic growth, rein in energy-guzzling industries, and build toward a national economy that is structurally resource-effective and energy-effective.

The Chinese people have worked hard to improve energy mix, develop high-quality energy sources, encourage the exploitation of new and renewable energy sources, promote clean energy, and improve energy-use efficiency by widely applying energy saving technologies.

China has come up with laws, regulations and policies to reduce the greenhouse gas emission, encourage the use of renewable energy, and conserve unrenewable energy resources. China is now working on a national strategy on climate change to keep up efforts at greenhouse gas emission mitigation, while working with other countries to actively address the issue of global climate change, Hu said at the meeting.

Leaders of the G8 and the five developing countries -- China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico -- were gathering here to discuss the global economy, climate change and other major world issues.

Source: Xinhua