Highlights and images for 28 August 2023

Since the beginning of 2023, several regions in China have experienced record heatwaves, severe flooding, and extreme temperatures, with the country recording both its highest-ever and coldest-ever temperatures in the same year. This mirrors environmental impacts in other parts of the world, such as wildfires across Canada blanketing large regions of North America and exposing millions to chronic air pollution and causing billions of dollars in economic losses. Convening in person for the first time in three years, the 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) opened with calls for robust and coordinated action to tackle these accelerated global environmental challenges.

Under the overarching theme, “Green Transition for High-Quality Development, Modernization in Harmony with Nature,” the meeting also provides an early opportunity to reflect on pathways to achieving the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and ongoing efforts to accelerate national carbon neutrality targets, with a focus on green financing, monitoring and evaluation, and digitalization, as key enablers.

In his opening statement, Huang Runqiu, CCICED Chinese Executive Vice Chairperson and Minister of Ecology and Environment, underlined that over the past decade, China has been successful in decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions. He highlighted the green energy transition, low carbon development, and biodiversity protection as key successes.

Steven Guilbeault, CCICED International Executive Vice Chair and Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada, highlighted Canada´s and China´s leadership in implementing the Kunming-Montreal GBF, which sets out a pathway for reaching the global vision of a world in harmony with nature by 2050. He stressed that the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss cannot be addressed without coordinated action, pointing to the Council as an example of collaborative action.

Xie Zhenhua, CCICED Vice Chairperson and China’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, noted that the immediate need for stability must be balanced with the need for long-term sustainable development, and highlighted the common consensus on long-term energy transition on the basis of security as a trend going forward.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that CCICED and UNEP share the common goal of people living in harmony with nature, and highlighted China´s advancements, such as hosting one-third of the world´s new installed renewable energy capacity.

Kristin Halvorsen, Director, Center for International Climate Research, called for more opportunities and spaces for politicians to engage with researchers and experts. She said the world has a lot to learn from China, noting the country’s successful battle against pollution.

In a video message, Achim Steiner, Administrator, UN Development Programme (UNDP), stressed the importance of recalibrating our economies, so that environmental protection is at the core of every policy decision. He called for ending to nature-harming subsidies, establishing nature positive enterprises, and strengthening environmental governance.

Zhao Yingmin, CCICED Secretary General, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, China, introduced the CCICED Work Report (2022-2023) and Work Plan (2023-2024), highlighting increased participation of women, as well as plans to strengthen the Secretariat.

Setting the tone for six thematic Open Forum sessions to take place on Tuesday, the CCICED Chief Advisors introduced the 2023 Issues Paper and Draft Policy Recommendations.

Scott Vaughan, International Chief Advisor, CCICED, and Senior Fellow, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), emphasized the large expansion in green technology, noting that the global market will exceed USD 1.7 trillion. In his reflections, Liu Shijin, Chinese Chief Advisor, CCICED; Former Deputy President, Development Research Center of the State Council, noted the need for more ambitious goals for clean energy and energy storage development that integrate modern electricity grid formulations. Among other issues, he called for consideration of the most optimal solutions and windows of opportunity for the energy transition.

In a subsequent discussion, speakers representing diverse stakeholder groups highlighted:

• CCICED leadership in not only proposing policy innovations for a low-carbon transition, but also orchestrating their implementation;
• opportunities to reorient debt conversion towards nature conservation;
• China as an example of a green transition for other countries in the global South;
• linking the climate and biodiversity agendas; and
• opportunities to mobilize societies around the world to advance environmental protection goals.