How to deal with climate change

Climate change is a major global issue of general concern to the international community. Climate change is both an environmental problem and a development problem, but in the final analysis, it is a development problem. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as UNFCCC) points out that the largest part of global greenhouse gas emissions in history and at present comes from developed countries, while the per capita emissions of developing countries are still low, and the share of developing countries in global emissions will increase to meet their economic and social development needs. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change clearly states that all parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of mankind on the basis of fairness and according to their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and developed country parties should take the lead in taking actions to deal with climate change and its adverse effects. UNFCCC also requires all Parties to formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national programmes to address climate change.

As a responsible developing country, China attaches great importance to the issue of climate change. According to the requirements of the national sustainable development strategy, it has established a national coordinating body for climate change countermeasures and adopted a series of policies and measures related to climate change, which has made positive contributions to mitigating and adapting to climate change. As an important obligation to fulfill the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Government of China has specially formulated the China National Program to Address Climate Change, which has defined the specific objectives, basic principles, key areas and policy measures for China to address climate change before 2065. According to the requirements of Scientific Outlook on Development, China will conscientiously implement the tasks set forth in the national program, strive to build a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, improve its ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and continue to contribute to the protection of the global climate.

Paragraph 7 of Article 4 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change stipulates: "The extent to which developing country Parties can effectively fulfill their commitments under this Convention will depend on the developed country Parties' effective implementation of their commitments on capital and technology transfer under this Convention, and will fully consider that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of developing country Parties". China is willing to actively carry out effective and pragmatic cooperation with the international community and relevant countries while developing its economy, and strive to implement this plan.

The first part is about the current situation and efforts of China to deal with climate change.

In the past century, many observational data show that the earth's climate is undergoing significant changes characterized by global warming, and the climate change trend in China is basically consistent with the global general trend. In order to cope with climate change and promote sustainable development, China Municipal Government has made remarkable contributions to mitigating climate change by implementing policies and measures such as adjusting economic structure, improving energy efficiency, developing and utilizing renewable energy such as hydropower, strengthening ecological construction, and implementing family planning.

I. Observational facts and trends of climate change in China

The third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that global warming in recent 50 years was mainly caused by the warming effect of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emitted by human activities. Under the background of global warming, the climate in China has also changed obviously in the last hundred years. The main observation facts about climate change in China include: First, the annual average temperature in China has increased by 0.5 ~ 0.8℃ in the last hundred years, which is slightly higher than the global warming average in the same period, especially in the last 50 years. From the geographical distribution, the climate warming in northwest, north and northeast China is obvious, while the warming trend in Jiangnan area is not significant; Judging from the seasonal distribution, the temperature rise in winter is the most obvious. From 1986 to 2005, there were 20 national warm winters in China. Second, in the past hundred years, the average annual precipitation in China has not changed much, but the regional precipitation has fluctuated greatly. The annual average precipitation in China began to decrease gradually after 1950s, with an average decrease of 2.9mm per 10 year, but it increased slightly from 199 1 year to 2000. In terms of geographical distribution, the precipitation in most parts of North China, the eastern part of Northwest China and Northeast China has obviously decreased, with an average decrease of 20 ~ 40mm every 10 year, especially in North China. The precipitation in South China and Southwest China has increased significantly, with an average increase of 20 ~ 60mm every 10 year. Third, in the past 50 years, the frequency and intensity of major extreme weather and climate events in China have changed significantly. The drought in North China and Northeast China is aggravated, and the floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southeast are aggravated. Since 1990, the annual precipitation in most years has been more than normal, and there has been a rain pattern of flooding in the south and drought in the north, and droughts and floods have occurred frequently. Fourthly, in the past 50 years, the average annual sea level rise rate along the coast of China is 2.5 mm, which is slightly higher than the global average. Fifthly, the mountain glaciers in China are rapidly retreating, and there is an accelerating trend.

The trend of climate warming in China will be further intensified in the future. Chinese scientists' predictions show that: firstly, compared with 2000, the annual average temperature in China will increase by1.3 ~ 2.65,438+0℃ in 2020 and 2.3 ~ 3.3℃ in 2050. The warming range of the whole country is increasing from south to north, with obvious warming in northwest and northeast regions. It is predicted that by 2030, the temperature in northwest China may rise by 1.9 ~ 2.3℃, southwest China by 1.6 ~ 2.0℃ and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by 2.2 ~ 2.6℃. Second, in the next 50 years, the average annual precipitation in China will increase. It is predicted that by 2020, the national average annual precipitation will increase by 2% ~ 3%, and may increase by 5% ~ 7% by 2050. Among them, the southeast coast has the largest increase. Third, in the future 100, the frequency of extreme weather and climate events in China will increase, which will have a greater impact on economic and social development and people's lives. Fourthly, the range of arid areas in China may expand, and the possibility of desertification may increase. Fifthly, the sea level along the coast of China will continue to rise. Sixth, the glaciers in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Tianshan Mountains will accelerate their retreat, and some small glaciers will disappear.

Second, the status of greenhouse gas emissions in China

According to the initial national information of climate change in People's Republic of China (PRC), the total greenhouse gas emission of China in194 was 4.06 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (the net emission after carbon sink deduction was 3.65 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), including 3.07 billion tons of carbon dioxide, 730 million tons of methane and 260 million tons of nitrous oxide. According to the preliminary estimation of Chinese experts, the total greenhouse gas emission in China in 2004 was about 6,654.38+tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (the net emission after carbon sequestration was about 5.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), of which the carbon dioxide emission was about 5.07 billion tons, methane was about 720 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and nitrous oxide was about 330 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. From 1994 to 2004, the average annual growth rate of total greenhouse gas emissions in China was about 4%, and the proportion of carbon dioxide emissions in total greenhouse gas emissions increased from 76% in 1994 to 83% in 2004.

The historical emission of greenhouse gases in China is very low, and the per capita emission has been lower than the world average. According to the research results of the World Resources Institute, in 1950, China's carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion were 79 million tons, accounting for only1.31%of the world's total emissions at that time; 1950 ~ 2002, China's cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion accounted for 9.33% of the world in the same period, and its per capita cumulative carbon dioxide emissions were 6 1.7 tons, ranking 92nd in the world. According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency, in 2004, the per capita carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuel combustion in China was 3.65 tons, which was equivalent to 87% of the world average and 33% of the OECD countries.

With the steady development of economy and society, the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) in China has generally shown a downward trend. According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency, the carbon dioxide emission intensity of fossil fuel combustion per unit GDP in China was 5.47kgCO2/ USD in 1990 (calculated at 2000 prices), and it decreased to 2.76kgCO2/ USD in 2004, a decrease of 49.5%, while the world average level only decreased by 12.6% in the same period, and the OECD countries decreased by 65433.

Third, China's efforts and achievements in mitigating climate change.

As a responsible developing country, since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, the government of China has taken the lead in organizing and formulating the "China 2/kloc-0 Agenda for the Century-2/kloc-0 China White Paper on Population, Environment and Development", which has taken a series of policy measures from the national conditions and made positive contributions to slowing down global climate change.

First, adjust the economic structure, promote technological progress and improve energy efficiency. Since the late 1980s, China government has paid more attention to the transformation of economic growth mode and the adjustment of economic structure, and has made reducing the consumption of resources and energy, promoting cleaner production and preventing industrial pollution an important part of China's industrial policy. By implementing a series of industrial policies, accelerating the development of the tertiary industry and adjusting the internal structure of the secondary industry, the industrial structure has undergone significant changes. 1990, the output value of the three industries in China was 26.9:4 1.3:3 1.8, and in 2005 it was 12.6:47.5:39.9. The proportion of the primary industry continues to decline, and the tertiary industry develops greatly, especially telecommunications, tourism and finance. 1991-In 2005, China supported the average annual growth rate of 10.2% with an average annual growth rate of energy consumption, and the elastic coefficient of energy consumption was about 0.55.

Since 1980s, China government has formulated the policy of "paying equal attention to development and saving, giving priority to saving in the near future", and established the strategic position of energy conservation in energy development. Through the implementation of "People's Republic of China (PRC) Energy Conservation Law" and related laws and regulations, we have formulated special plans for energy conservation, formulated and implemented technical, economic, financial and management policies to encourage energy conservation, formulated and implemented energy efficiency standards and labels, encouraged the research, development, demonstration and popularization of energy-saving technologies, introduced and absorbed advanced energy-saving technologies, established and implemented new energy-saving mechanisms, and strengthened the construction of key energy-saving projects, which effectively promoted the development of energy-saving work. The energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP in China decreased from 2.68 tons of standard coal in 1990 to 1.43 tons of standard coal in 2005 (calculated at the comparable price in 2000), with an average annual decrease of 4. 1%. Compared with 1990, the unit energy consumption of high energy-consuming products in the industrial field has also dropped significantly: in 2004, the coal consumption of power supply for thermal power units of 6000 kilowatts and above decreased from 427 grams of standard coal per kWh to 376 grams of standard coal, the comparable energy consumption per ton of steel in key enterprises decreased from 997 kilograms of standard coal to 702 kilograms of standard coal, and the comprehensive energy consumption of cement in large and medium-sized enterprises decreased from 2065438+ to 2065438 according to the ring comparison method. From 199 1 to 15 in 2005, China saved and used less energy by adjusting economic structure and improving energy efficiency. According to 1994, China's carbon dioxide emission per ton of standard coal is 2.277 tons, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emission by about180,000 tons.

Second, develop low-carbon energy and renewable energy and improve the energy structure. Through national policy guidance and capital investment, we will strengthen the development and utilization of hydropower, nuclear energy, oil, natural gas and coalbed methane, and support the development and utilization of new renewable energy such as biomass energy, solar energy, geothermal energy and wind energy in rural areas, remote areas and conditional areas, so as to increase the proportion of high-quality clean energy. In the composition of primary energy consumption in China, the proportion of coal decreased from 76.2% in190 to 68.9% in 2005, while the proportions of oil, natural gas and hydropower increased from 16.6%, 2. 1% and 5.65438+ respectively.

By the end of 2005, the installed hydropower capacity in China had reached1.1.700 million kilowatts, accounting for 23% of the national installed capacity, and the annual power generation was 41100 million kwh, accounting for1.6% of the total power generation. Household biogas digesters have reached170,000, with an annual output of about 6.5 billion cubic meters. More than 654.38+0500 large and medium-sized biogas projects have been built, with an annual output of about 65.438+05 billion cubic meters. The installed capacity of biomass power generation is about 2 million kilowatts, of which bagasse power generation is about 6.5438+0.7 million kilowatts and garbage power generation is about 200,000 kilowatts; The annual production capacity of biofuel ethanol with grain as raw material is about 6.5438+0.02 million tons; More than 60 grid-connected wind farms have been built with a total installed capacity of 6.5438+0.26 million kilowatts, and there are about 200,000 small independent wind turbines in remote areas with a total capacity of about 40,000 kilowatts. The total capacity of photovoltaic power generation is about 70 thousand kilowatts, which mainly supplies power to residents in remote areas; The total heat collection area of the solar water heater in use is 85 million square meters. In 2005, China's renewable energy utilization has reached 654.38+66 million tons of standard coal (including large-scale hydropower), accounting for 7.5% of the total energy consumption, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 380 million tons.

Third, vigorously plant trees and strengthen ecological construction and protection. Since the reform and opening up, with the implementation of key forestry ecological projects in China, great achievements have been made in afforestation and greening. According to the sixth national inventory of forest resources, the area of artificial afforestation in China has reached 54 million hectares, with an accumulation of 654.38+50.5 million cubic meters, ranking first in the world. The national forest area reached 1749 10000 hectares, and the forest coverage rate increased from 13.92% in the early 1990s to 18.2 1% in 2005. In addition to planting trees, China has actively implemented ecological construction and protection policies such as natural forest protection, returning farmland to forests and grasslands, grassland construction and management, and nature reserve construction, further enhancing the capacity of forestry as a greenhouse gas sink. At the same time, China's urban greening has also developed rapidly. In 2005, the green coverage area of urban built-up areas in China reached 6.5438+0.06 million hectares, the green coverage rate was 33%, and the average urban green space was 7.9 square meters, which also played a certain role in absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. According to experts' estimation, from 1980 to 2005, the cumulative net absorption of carbon dioxide in afforestation activities in China was about 3.06 billion tons, and the cumulative net absorption of carbon dioxide in forest management was 162 million tons, which reduced the carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation by 430 million tons.

Fourth, implement family planning and effectively control population growth. Since the 1970s, the government of China has always regarded the implementation of family planning as a basic national policy, effectively controlling the excessive population growth. According to United Nations data, China's fertility rate is not only significantly lower than other developing countries, but also lower than the world average. In 2005, China's birth rate was 12.40‰, and its natural growth rate was 5.89‰, which was 8.66 and 8.50 thousandths lower than 1990 respectively, and it entered the ranks of countries with low fertility level in the world. Under the condition of underdeveloped economy, China has realized the historic transformation of population reproduction types from high birth rate, low mortality rate and high growth rate to low birth rate, low mortality rate and low growth rate in a short period of time, and completed the road that some developed countries took decades or even hundreds of years to complete. Through family planning, more than 300 million children were born in China in 2005. According to the global per capita emission level calculated by the International Energy Agency, in 2005 alone, it was equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 654.38+300 million tons, which was a great contribution made by China to alleviating world population growth and controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Fifth, the formulation of laws, regulations and policies and measures related to climate change has been strengthened. In view of the new problems in recent years, the China Municipal Government has put forward a major strategic idea of establishing Scientific Outlook on Development and building a harmonious society, accelerated the construction of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, and further strengthened a series of policies and measures to deal with climate change. In 2004, the State Council adopted the Outline of Medium and Long-term Energy Development Plan (2004-2020) (draft). In 2004, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the first medium-and long-term special plan for energy conservation in China. In February 2005, the National People's Congress deliberated and passed the Renewable Energy Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), which clarified the responsibilities and obligations of the government, enterprises and users in the development and utilization of renewable energy, and put forward a series of policy measures, such as total target system, grid-connected power generation system, price management system, cost sharing system, special fund system and tax preferential system. In August, 2005, the State Council issued the Notice on Building a Resource-saving Society in the Near Future and Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Circular Economy. From June 5 to February 2005, the State Council issued the Decision on Promulgating and Implementing the Interim Provisions on Promoting Industrial Structure Adjustment and the Decision on Strengthening Environmental Protection with Scientific Outlook on Development. In August 2006, the State Council issued the Decision on Strengthening Energy Conservation. These policy documents provide policy and legal guarantee for further enhancing China's ability to cope with climate change.

Sixth, relevant systems and institutions have been further improved. The China Municipal Government has set up a national coordinating agency for climate change countermeasures, which is composed of 17 departments, and has carried out various work in the research, formulation and coordination of climate change-related policies, providing guidance for various departments of the central government and local governments to deal with climate change. In order to fulfill China's commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the National Coordination Bureau for Climate Change organized the preparation of the Initial National Communication on Climate Change in People's Republic of China (PRC) from May 1 2006, and formally submitted the report to the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the end of 2004. In recent years, the government of China has continuously strengthened the comprehensive energy management closely related to climate change, and established the National Energy Leading Group and its office, further strengthening its leadership in energy work. In order to standardize and promote the orderly development of clean development mechanism projects in China, the relevant departments of China government promulgated the revised Measures for the Management of Clean Development Mechanism Projects in June 5438+ 10, 2005.

Seventh, attach great importance to climate change research and capacity building. The China Municipal Government attaches importance to and constantly improves the supporting capacity of scientific research related to climate change, and has organized and implemented major national scientific and technological projects such as "Study on Global Climate Change Prediction, Impact and Countermeasures" and "Study on Global Climate Change and Environmental Policy", and carried out research work such as the National Climbing Plan, the National Key Basic Research and Development Plan Project "Study on Formation Mechanism and Prediction Theory of Major Climate and Weather Disasters in China" and "Study on Carbon Cycle and Its Driving Mechanism of Terrestrial Ecosystem in China". Major knowledge innovation projects such as "Study on Carbon Budget of Terrestrial and Offshore Ecosystems in China" were completed, and major projects such as "Study on Climate and Sea Level Change and Its Trends and Impacts in China" were carried out, and the National Assessment Report on Climate Change was compiled, which provided a scientific basis for the country to formulate policies to deal with global climate change and participate in the negotiation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The relevant departments of China government have also carried out some international cooperation projects on capacity building of clean development mechanism.

Eighth, increase climate change education and publicity. The Government of China has always attached importance to education, publicity and public awareness in the fields of environment and climate change. In the "China 265438+Action Plan for Sustainable Development at the Beginning of the 20th Century", it is clearly stated that: actively develop all kinds of education at all levels and raise the awareness of sustainable development of the whole people; Strengthen the development of human resources and improve the scientific and cultural quality of public participation in sustainable development. In recent years, China has strengthened publicity and education on climate change, held various lectures and reports on climate change, held many training courses on climate change for central and provincial policy makers, held large-scale seminars on "Climate Change and Ecological Environment", and launched the bilingual government website "China Climate Change Information Network" which provides all-round information on climate change, and achieved good results.