Speech prepared for delivery at the Annual Meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development
Mr. Huang Runqiu, CCICED Chinese Executive Vice Chairperson, Minister of Ecology and Environment
Thank you for inviting me to speak at the Annual General Meeting. As the Vice Chairperson of the China Council, I look forward to working with you all to connect the climate, biodiversity and pollution agendas.
Last month, the IPCC warned us that climate change is here, now, and it is getting worse faster. But climate change is part and parcel of what we at UNEP call the triple planetary crisis. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are damaging prosperity, health and equity. Driven by humanity’s unsustainable consumption of resources, the triple planetary crisis threatens our very existence.
But we too are here, now. And every country has a “to-do” list to secure the future for people and planet. Allow me to share some opportunities that we at UNEP see for China’s leadership – which is imperative for a nature-positive and net-zero emissions future.
COVID-19 recovery spending is a great chance to accelerate action on the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. UNEP’s Emissions Gap report shows that green COVID-19 recovery spending could knock 25 per cent off emissions by 2030. But only 21 per cent of global recovery spending is green so far. While we have seen some progress in recent months, it is still not enough. I call on all countries to step this up rapidly and make investments that lock us into a green, just and equitable future.
Such an approach would be in line with President Xi’s commitment at the UN General Assembly in 2020 to ensure China’s CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The challenge is turning these goals into reality through domestic policies. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan provides an important opportunity to provide leadership on phasing-out coal and moving to renewable energy. It is possible. China accounted for nearly half of the world’s renewable energy installations in 2020. And more can be done.
The time to do this is now. As a member of the G20, China is committed to submitting an updated NDC, or nationally-determined contribution, ahead of the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow. Stronger NDCs that make net-zero plans an integral part of Paris commitments are the only way to avoid the bleak future outlined by the IPCC.
Alongside progress on climate, it is time to accelerate the biodiversity agenda. I welcome China’s leadership in mainstreaming biodiversity through its strategy on Eco-civilization, on the ecological redlines approach to spatial planning, on strengthening protected areas, and on restoration. China will be taking up the Presidency of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Conference of Parties at a vital time. Securing an ambitious and achievable post 2020-global biodiversity framework requires negotiation on key issues of ambition and on means of implementation to enable the Framework’s delivery.
As China leads us towards a global agreement at COP15, there are opportunities for further leadership on mainstreaming biodiversity across all sectors. For example, strengthening environmental safeguards for infrastructure investments across the Belt and Road Initiative, and with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, can build sustainable infrastructure. Removing subsidies that harm nature and better aligning financial flows can move us to nature-positive agriculture and food systems. Embedding sustainability in public procurement and international supply chains will lessen our footprint on the natural world. Strengthening biodiversity protection in China’s coastal waters and in the high seas can support sustainable fisheries. These actions, through a whole of government approach, will add up to a strong legacy for China.
Finally, we know that pollution is closely linked to climate change and biodiversity loss. Here again, China has demonstrated leadership. Concentrations of PM2.5 in Beijing declined more than 50 per cent between 2015 and 2020. At the Ministerial conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution Member States delivered a resounding call to tackle plastic pollution. China’s emphasis on green consumption and a new law to reduce food waste are encouraging steps in the right direction. I welcome China’s leadership as we seek to address the scourge of plastic pollution.
The science has spoken. We know what we must do. Now, political will and global leadership must kick in to prioritize a healthy natural world. China’s leadership in navigating the world toward this objective in the months and years ahead is critical.
Thank you.
Executive Director
