The COP of Action– Marrakech Climate Change Conference

By staff reporter CHEN JING

The COP of Action– Marrakech Climate Change Conference

By staff reporter CHEN JING

Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Affairs, addresses the opening ceremony on November 14, 2016 of a High-level Forum of South-South Cooperation on Climate Change during the recent COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco.

THE 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place from 7 to 18 November in Marrakech, Morocco. Meanwhile, the COP12 Kyoto Protocol and COP1 Paris Agreement were also convened. During this 12-day session, participants from more than 190 countries and regions discussed technical details of the Paris Agreement, further promoted its implementation, and formulated a roadmap whereby developed countries fulfill their annual US $100 billion commitment to financial support.

The Marrakech Climate Change Conference was the first meeting after the Paris Agreement came into effect. After an appropriate celebration, the COP1 Paris Agreement ensued. Its main focus was on implementing details of the Paris Agreement, advancing from words to action before 2020, climate change funds, and capability construction. Among participants was the Chinese delegation of 80 representatives from relevant departments led by China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin.

Implementation of Paris Agreement

In December 2015, around 200 parties to the UNFCCC signed the milestone Paris Agreement at the Paris Climate Change Conference, so making essential progress in tackling global climate change. This was the second legally binding agreement on the 2020 global action to address andmake an effective response to climate change since the Kyoto Protocol adopted on December 11, 1997.

According to the Paris Agreement, the document would come into effect 30 days after 55 UNFCCC contracting parties, accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions, accept, approve, ratify, and sign the instrument. As the two thresholds were achieved on October 5, the Paris Agreement came into force on November 4, 2016, when the UN Climate Change organizing committee released a press communiqué announcing a celebration. At this historic moment, the communiqué called on all parties to face future realities and the world’s determination to fulfill its mission. This memorable day was described as “the world’s opening of the road to sustainable development and halting of the steps towards climate catastrophe.”

The Marrakech COP22 was a proactive step towards implementation of the Paris Agreement. As Xie Zhenhua said in his address: “Implementing the provisions of the Paris Agreement requires conducting a series of negotiations and making specific arrangements. All parties must work out a schedule, timetable, and roadmap to put the agreement into practice through mechanisms and institutions. This is the main content of discussions at this year’s conference.”

China has made great contributions to bringing the Paris Agreement into effect, and the Chinese government has taken several steps to promote its implementation.

China’s Action on the Paris Agreement

China has made great contributions to bringing the Paris Agreement into effect, and the Chinese government has taken several steps to promote its implementation. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on November 30, 2015, titled “Work Together to Build a Win-Win, Equitable and Balanced Governance Mechanism on Climate Change,” in which he said that all parties should be sincere and determined in a concerted effort to establish a fair and effective response mechanism to global climate change, and so achieve a higher level of sustainable development and win-win international relations.

Xi reiterated China’s pledges to peak CO2 emissions by around 2030 and to strive to achieve this as soon as possible, as well as to reduce by 2030 the CO2 per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent over the 2005 level, raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to about 20 percent, and increase forest stock by around 4.5 billion cubic meters over 2005.

On April 22, 2016, in his capacity of special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Gaoli attended the high-level signature ceremony of the Paris Agreement at the UN headquarters in New York, and signed the Paris Agreement on behalf of China. Zhang said in his speech titled “Promote Implementation of the Paris Agreement to Establish a Beautiful Homeland for Humankind” that China would try to achieve early implementation of the Paris Agreement, and finalize domestic legal procedures to ratify the pact before the G20 Hangzhou Summit in September this year. The country also pledged to cap CO2 emissions by around 2030 and strive for a peak as soon as possible, and to include these initiatives into the national overall development agenda.

The Chinese government set out in its outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan period to reduce CO2 per unit of GDP by 18 percent in the coming five years. The nation will carry out dual control of total energy consumption and intensity, conduct the initiative to demonstrate near-zero carbon emissions zones, build a national carbon trading market, significantly increase forest carbon sinks, and establish a solid foundation for the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC). It will also deepen South-South Cooperation on climate change, launch new cooperative fund programs, and help other developing countries to expand their financial capacity sufficiently to respond to climate change.

On September 3, 2016, shortly before the opening of the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama successively handed over their countries’ instruments of joining the Paris Agreement to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Xi Jinping said that climate change has a bearing on people’s well-being and the future of humanity, and that the Paris Agreement pointed the way to global cooperation on climate change beyond 2020, signifying that a win-win, fair and reasonable climate governance system is being formed. China has made great contributions towards promoting this progress. Xi spoke of China’s initiative in suggesting the first presidency statement on climate change in G20 history, and how the country also took the lead in signing the Paris Agreement. Handing over its instrument to UN is China’s solemn commitment to the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on November 4 to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the taking effect of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Xi said in the letter that the Paris Agreement had become one of the fastest international accords in history to come into force, so delivering a positive signal of international cooperation in tackling climate change. The Paris Agreement thus ushers in a new phase of international cooperation on fighting global warming. China, which upholds a development concept that highlights innovation, coordination, greenness, openness and sharing, will act positively and forcefully in promoting a low-carbon, recycling economy, and combating climate change.

Ban Ki-moon has mentioned on various occasions China’s historic, fundamental and pivotal contributions to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement.“Throughout the whole process, the Chinese government has made critical contributions,” Xie Zhenhua said, having acknowledged Ban’s comments in this respect.

Xie went on to say that in order to implement the agreement’s programs and arrangements, the Chinese government would negotiate and communicate with various negotiating blocs and strive to make decisions during the Marrakech Conference to bring the Paris Agreement into effect.

The 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place from 7 to 18 November in Marrakech, Morocco.

Voice of China

On November 1, China published its 2016 annual report on policies and actions on climate change, expounding China’s actions and achievements in eight aspects. They are: mitigation of climate change, adaption to climate change, lowcarbon pilots and demonstrations, strategic planning and institutional improvements, strengthening capacity building, broad participation, promoting international negotiation, and strengthening international exchanges and cooperation.

According to the report, during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011 to 2015), China’s carbon intensity fell 20 percent compared to that over the previous five years, so surpassing the country’s goal of 17 percent. During the latest five-year period the energy structure in China has been optimized, the consumption of nonfossil fuels having increased to 12 percent of the total energy consumption, so surpassing the original target of 11.4 percent. Forest growing stock also increased to 15.137 billion cubic meters, so achieving the goal set for 2020. Moreover, as at last September, a quota equivalent to 120 million tons of carbon dioxide was imposed on seven pilot carbon emission trading markets, with an accumulated transaction volume of more than RMB 3.2 billion.

“Such progress highlights China’s resolution to tackle climate change through real actions,” Xie Zhenhua said. According to him, China hoped that all parties would keep to common but differentiated responsibilities during the conference negotiation process, and cooperatively and pragmatically participate in new climate governance. China hoped the conference might achieve positive progress in formulating a follow-up roadmap and schedule in the wake of the Paris Agreement, so encouraging all parties to positively implement Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), enhancing actions to address climate change before 2020, and offering aid to developing countries as regards funds, technologies and capacity building.

Xie said that the Marrakech Climate Change Conference should mainly solve several questions. First, we need to enhance actions addressing climate change before 2020, and make sure that the consensus reached and the commitments made in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment are honored. Second, we need to clarify how all countries will fulfill their INDC, because in order to convene the facilitative dialogue in 2018 we need a clear picture of what all countries have done in this respect. Third, we will hold a series of negotiations to devise detailed implementation plans for the Paris Agreement. All parties need to make specific arrangements for the negotiations. The Paris Agreement will be carried out through a series of mechanisms and systems. The fourth topic, of particular concern to developing countries, is that of developed countries’actual fulfillment of their commitments to offer aid to developing countries, as regards funds, technologies and capacity building. We need to show everyone exactly how much in funds developed countries have offered, where it went, what has been done with it, and what results it has so far achieved. Fifth, the ultimate approach to implementing the Paris Agreement is that of promoting sustainable, green and low-carbon development, and the Marrakech Conference made appropriate arrangements in this regard.

During the conference, the Chinese Pavilion presented 17 side events, including forums and press conferences themed on climate change and rural development, China’s low-carbon development strategy, and South-South Cooperation. According to Xie Ji, deputy chief of Chinese delegation to the COP22 in Marrakech, their goal is to showcase China’s achievements and experience of ecological management and improvement of human welfare, promote exchanges and learning from one another, and make China’s voice heard worldwide.

“The Marrakech Conference was one of action,” Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Lu Xinming said. Lu believes that all parties anticipate strengthened action before 2020 and enhanced mutual trust. The conference will lay foundations for cooperation after 2020, especially as regards finance and an improved capability to fulfill UN Climate Change Convention.

According to Lu, global climate action was the highlight of the conference, so the Paris Agreement’s pattern, procedure and guidelines should be the focus of all parties. The conference set down a schedule for action over the next two years. Besides, interested entities of noncontracting parties, such as cities, enterprises and NGOs, participated in climate change matters, based on the spirit of understanding and support.

According to Gou Haibo, deputy chief of the Chinese delegation to the Marrakech COP22, green development is an international megatrend. China will uphold a development concept highlighting innovation, coordination, greenness, openness and sharing, Gou said, underlining that China will act positively and forcefully in maintaining the international mechanism, promoting international cooperation, and combating climate change. China is willing to work with all concerned parties, including the United States, towards promoting relevant mechanisms and collaborations.