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West needs to act against global warming: seminar

By Li Qian (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-24 18:51

NGOs and government officials criticized western countries for what they said was a lack of commitment to controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and defended China's efforts to fight climate change at a conference in Beijing on Thursday.

"Developed countries' promises in reducing greenhouse gas emission are fairly low, and they are not doing their due part to cut CO2 emissions by 50 percent from 1990 to 2050, as required by the United Nations Development Program," said Dr. Yang Fuqiang, Director of Global Climate Solutions at Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund.

A visitor takes pictures of the melting Twin Glacier near the south Greenland town of Narsaq July 28, 2009. [Agencies]

The conference was organized jointly by Chinese environmental NGO Beijing Global Village and the China Energy Conservation Association, which reports to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Participants also strongly defended China's own efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was attended by Chinese government officials with environmental responsibilities, and both international and Chinese NGOs.

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"China is now ahead of the national goal of cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent from 2005 to 2010, thanks to improved energy efficiency", said Su Wei, Director of the National Coordination Committee on Climate Change at the National Development and Reform Commission, China's chief economic planning body.

According to Su, in the last three years the energy usage per unit of GDP in China has dropped 10.8 percent, and in the first half of this year, the figure dropped another 4 percent.

"Once the [20 percent] target is achieved, it means China has saved 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the air," he said, arguing that China does not get enough credit for reducing greenhouse emissions.

International efforts to combat climate change have increased recently, and a major international climate conference will be held in Copenhagen at the end of this year. The goal is to draft an agreement that will replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

China and the US are responsible for 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, most experts argue that for the Copenhagen conference to be successful, the two countries must first reach their own agreement.

However, since the United States and other developed nations were responsible for the vast majority of greenhouse gases emitted since the Industrial Revolution, Beijing argues that they – not it – should bear most of the burden of cutting emissions now.

"The Copenhagen conference will be a milestone, though the outcome may not be compulsive. But China's low-carbon development path should not be shaken," Yang said.