Experts from international organizations have expressed high expectations for the role of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development in addressing the environmental crises the world is facing.
They made the remarks at the annual general meeting of the council, a high-level international advisory body composed of officials and experts from home and abroad that gives policy advice to the Chinese government, which opened in Beijing on Monday.
Kristin Halvorsen, director of the Norway-based Center for International Climate and Environmental Research — Oslo, said she thinks that the CCICED is "a very good meeting place between politicians, experts, researchers to discuss how we can solve all the difficult tasks that we are facing".
"This summer, we have experienced a lot of climate extremes throughout the world. Drought in some parts of the world, floods in other parts of the world. And as I'm speaking, it's flooding even in Norway. So climate action is urgent," said Halvorsen, who is also vice-chairperson of the CCICED.
Based on her experiences as a politician and researcher, the former minister of finance and former deputy prime minister of Norway said: "It takes too long before research and knowledge reach politicians and we need actions very fast. So I think that every country should have a climate council like the China council."
This kind of meeting place between politicians and experts is very fruitful, she said, adding she is really looking forward to discussing the agenda and the draft suggestions for this meeting because the council is addressing very important topics.
"We know that climate, nature, food, energy, combined with global economic growth slowing means that we are facing multiple challenges at the same time. So this situation requires actions from all of us to reduce emissions and promote adaptation.
"Climate and environment policies can in fact contribute toward economic growth. This is our responsibility to work together and jointly seek solid and suitable solutions. And CCICED is an important area for such cooperation," she said.
Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said many issues in the CCICED's work plan are in line with the priority areas for the world, and thus the council is expected to help promote global environmental governance.
"This annual general meeting takes place as our natural world continues to be pushed to the brink. At the same time, we face an accelerating climate emergency with record temperatures, scorching land and oceans."
Against this backdrop, Steiner called to connect the dots across global conventions and environmental agreements on climate, nature, food and energy, and highlighted four directions of change.
He said that with the growing momentum toward a green energy transition, all countries need to increase investment in the renewable energies that will power the economies of the future.
"We need to double down on a just energy transition that delivers economic, health and social gains by outlining the compelling economic argument, de-risking markets, and mitigating risks for workers and their families," he noted.
Strengthening environmental governance remains pivotal in the UNDP and in many national institutions, and the UNDP is supporting countries across the world to put the recognition of the right to clean, healthy and sustainable environment into practice, he said.
These priority areas are also reflected in the new CCICED work plan, and the decisions and recommendations that the CCICED puts forward this week can also advance our collective efforts around global environmental governance and influence the development trajectory of countries across the globe, he stressed.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said she looks forward to seeing the CCICED play a role in helping address the triple environmental planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
"I'm very pleased to be here in Beijing on a beautiful fall day for the annual general meeting by providing these key policy recommendations and setting the CCICED's research priorities for the next year," she said.
This AGM can help strengthen China's efforts and work to address the triple environmental planetary crises, she said.
She said that July this year was the hottest month in recorded history, and that 4 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region are exposed to air pollution. "We know and understand that nature and biodiversity loss continues, with fears growing over the impact that this will have on food systems," she continued.
It's clear that the entire world needs to rapidly pivot in every sector to dampen these three crises, she emphasized.
"That's why I'm particularly pleased about the CCICED's recommendations this year to focus on areas that can deliver on these pivots, from emission reductions to green finance to implementing the global biodiversity framework," she said. "These are areas that align exactly with UNEP's mandate."
The CCICED's recommendation, for instance, to formulate a systematic coal power phase-out policy involving a number of considerations to maximize benefits is therefore noteworthy of attention, she added.
The CCICED has much more on its annual general meeting agenda and draft work plan reorienting finance and investment to deal with the health of the planet, unlocking the potential of digital transformation, harnessing the blue economy for jobs, food security, and carbon neutrality, she said.
"What is clear to me, at least, is that the CCICED and UNEP, which I'm proud to head, we want the same thing. We want a healthier planet upon which people of all nations live in harmony with nature and with one another.
"And I very much look forward to our discussions on how we together and all of us can work to support the CCICED and China to make this dream become a reality," she said.
