COP28 China Pavilion Side Event "Strengthening Innovation Cooperation on Green Development for a Low-carbon, Inclusive and Resilient Future" was held in Dubai 

 

With the theme "Strengthening Innovation Cooperation on Green Development for a Low-carbon, Inclusive and Resilient Future," a China Pavilion side event of the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Dubai on December 8. It was co-organized by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC).

 

Mr. Xie Zhenhua, China Special Envoy for Climate Change and Vice Chairperson of CCICED, Mr. Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE), Secretary General of CCICED; and Convenor of BRIGC Advisory Committee, and Mr. Jean-Francois Tremblay, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, attended and addressed the meeting.

 

According to Mr. Xie Zhenhua, significant progress has been made on crucial issues like the "loss and damage" fund, the reduction of methane emissions, and climate finance at the halfway point of the COP28. These developments, he said, demonstrate the positive spirit of cooperative efforts by all nations, led by the UAE, as the presidency of the meeting. Regarding other challenging issues of COP28, he hoped that experts and CCICED representatives attending the side event would be able to combine the perspectives of the North and the South and offer precise, inclusive, ambitious, and potent answers in an effort to ensure COP28's success.

 

Mr. Zhao Yingmin emphasized that multilateralism, solidarity, and cooperation are necessary as humanity confronts the formidable challenge of solving climate change. It is imperative to fully utilize the distinctive roles of the CCICED and the BRIGC, he said, to foster discussion in a range of areas related to climate change and the green and low-carbon transition, to offer creative yet workable answers to the problems that green investment and financing face, to collaboratively explore and construct green and low-carbon demonstration projects with developing countries, and to offer specific examples and recommendations for advancing green and low-carbon development.

 

According to Mr. Jean-Francois Tremblay, Canada has actively been steadily making progress on carbon pricing, phasing out coal, and regulation on methane. It will also contribute $16 million as seed money to start the "loss and damage" fund and will endeavor to secure additional funding in the future. At a time when public funding is insufficient, he said, the source of financing for climate change should be broadened to encourage more private investment.

 

Dr. Zhang Yujun, Deputy Secretary-General of CCICED, Vice President of BRIGC, Director General of Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO), MEE, presided over the meeting.

The participants discussed topics such as economic transition and development driven by green and low-carbon industry, development of the new energy system under the vision of carbon neutrality, global climate governance system and cooperation opportunities under the BRI. Some of the points of speech were summarized as follows:

 

Mr. Wang Yi 

—— 

CCICED Member 

Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China; Deputy Director of the National Committee of Experts on Climate Change 

There are three shifts that must occur in order to advance the achievement of climate goals and move toward carbon neutrality: first, from the conversation about decarbonization to the systematic construction of new energy and power systems; second, from setting up transition targets to the identification of the appropriate transition path with diverse stakeholders; and third, taking "tripling renewable energy" as a starting point, and build an integrated new energy system.

Mr. Andrew Steer 

—— 

CCICED Member 

BRIGC Co-chair 

President and CEO, Bezos Earth Fund 

China has made important contributions to the global renewable energy transition. We should strengthen blended financing, leverage private funds through public funds and investment by multilateral banks to support climate change, and further lower the cost of renewable energy.

 

Mr. Marco Lambertini 

—— 

CCICED Member 

BRIGC Co-chair and Governing Board Member 

International Special Envoy of World Wide Fund for Nature  

Since natural ecosystems are crucial for the absorption and storage of carbon dioxide, efforts to combat climate change and protect the ecological environment should be complementary. We anticipate that CCICED will continue to play a significant role in this field going forward. In the past, it has carried out joint policy research projects involving Chinese and international specialists, setting the practical direction for decarbonization and bolstering natural resilience.

 

Mr. Jonathan Pershing 

—— 

CCICED Member 

Program Director of Environment, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 

If nations create their own energy transition plans and specify precise pathways that consider every industry and stage of implementation, they have the chance to create a revolutionary economic model. With such a model in place, the transition may be accelerated and then the question of "phase out" or "phase down" fossil fuels is irrelevant.

 

Ms. Naoko Ishii 

—— 

CCICED Member 

Professor, Executive Vice President and Director of the Center for Global Commons, University of Tokyo 

Former CEO and Chair, Global Environment Facility  

Financing and allocation of funds is one of the key elements in achieving the energy transition. National climate initiatives that are grounded in national realities and science will be strengthened by the appropriate course of action taken to reform the global financial system. Investing in initiatives that promote the conservation of nature is equally crucial. China has already made some progress in natural capital accounting, which will help shape future solutions.

 

Mr. Zou Ji 

—— 

CCICED Special Advisor 

BRIGC Advisory Committee Member 

CEO and President of Energy Foundation China  

In the process of promoting the energy transition, economic policies, energy security policies, climate policies and even income distribution policies need to be considered in a holistic way to form systematic plans and foster synergies. In the process of transitioning, job opportunities from new emerging low carbon sector must be considered, and local economies must be diversified.

Mr. LO Sze Ping 

—— 

CCICED Special Advisor 

Program Director, China and Southeast Asia, Sequoia Climate Foundation 

China has a unique role to play in supporting developing countries in their energy transition. Developing countries can also benefit from China's effective implementation of policies that enhance air quality, lower carbon emissions, and spur economic growth. Advancing South-South collaboration in the realm of sustainable energy can provide fresh momentum to the worldwide energy shift.

 

Mr. Lei Hongpeng 

—— 

CCICED Special Advisor 

Global Director, Climate, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation  

Under the BRIGC's Green Development Investment and Financing Partnership, a platform led by host country with the involvement of sovereign funds, multilateral development agencies, and technical support agencies might be encouraged to encourage more efficient financing of green projects.

Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri 

—— 

Executive Director 

Sustainable Development Policy Institute  

The green BRI cooperation can help developing countries, including Pakistan, in the areas of carbon markets, low-carbon technology, and essential minerals to help them achieve leapfrog development and just transformation of renewable energy, given the high cost of energy transformation in developing countries.
 

Also present at the meeting were fellow CCICED Members, including Mr. Jan-Gunnar Winther, Specialist Director of Norwegian Polar Institute; Mr. Tomas Anker Christensen, Climate Ambassador of Denmark; Mr. Zhang Hongjun, Board Chair of Energy Foundation China and Partner of Holland and Knight LLP, and CCICED Special Advisor Mr. Guo Jing, President of BRI International Green Development Coalition.
 

* This article is summarized by the CCICED Secretariat, based on remarks made at the COP28 China Pavilion Side Event "Strengthening Innovation Cooperation on Green Development for a Low-carbon, Inclusive and Resilient Future" (December 8), which has not been reviewed by the mentioned speakers. The views and opinions expressed by the speakers are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their organizations or the CCICED.