Canada and China’s Enduring Cooperating on Climate Change
建设全球生态文明需要携手同行
Ambassador Cong Peiwu Publishes a Signed Article on The Hill Times
驻加拿大大使丛培武在《国会山时报》发表署名文章
5 October 2020
2020年10月5日
When I worked in the Chinese Embassy in Canada 20 years ago, I did not expect that 20 years later, the temperature in Ottawa could exceed 30 degrees Celsius as early as late May. In fact, on May 27, the temperature peaked at 34.8 degrees, setting a record for the hottest May 27 in Ottawa history. Climate change is exerting increasing impact on people’s lives. According to a report released by the United Nations (UN) in September, the average global temperature for 2016-2020 is expected to be the warmest on record, about 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Recently, Canadian media reported that the last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed. Besides, extreme weather and catastrophic events occur frequently around the world, and there are reports that the recent wildfires in the western US are also related to climate change. Some scientists believe the world will face more extreme weather and a higher risk of natural disasters as global warming continues.
20年前在中国驻加使馆工作时，我不会想到20年后渥太华在5月下旬就迎来30多度的高温天气。实际上，今年5月27日这一天达到34.8℃，创下历史最热记录。气候变化越来越影响人们的生活。根据联合国今年9月发布的一份报告，近五年全球平均气温预计是有史以来最暖的，较工业化前水平升高约1.1℃。不久前，加拿大媒体也报道了加拿大最后一个完整北极冰架坍塌。另外，全球极端天气和灾难性事件频发，有报道称最近美国西部野火肆虐也与气候变化有关。一些科学家认为，随着全球气候持续变暖，预计全球将会面临更多的极端天气和更高的自然灾害风险。
During my one-year stay here, I found that climate change has drawn the attention of most Canadian people. It is said in 2013, 54 percent of the Canadian people saw climate change as the greatest threat to their country. By 2020, this figure has risen to 67 percent. The Canadian government has identified climate change as the defining challenges of our time and has introduced a series of measures to deal with it.
在此次来加工作的一年时间里，我发现加拿大人民普遍关注气候变化等问题。据了解，2013年54%的加拿大人认为气候变化是本国最大威胁，而2020年这一比重已上升到67%。加拿大政府则将气候变化称之为时代的决定性挑战，并出台了一系列应对措施。
China, like Canada, attaches great importance to climate change. At the General Debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speech announced that China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous policies and measures. China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. As the largest developing country in the world, China faces an arduous task of industrial transformation and upgrading as well as green and low-carbon development, which requires strenuous efforts. However, China acts in good faith. We have already attained 2020 climate action targets ahead of schedule. By the end of 2019, China has reduced carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 48.1 percent over 2005, equivalent to more than 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions reduction. China has already exceeded the 2030 target for forest carbon sinks, and has contributed 25 percent to the increased afforestation areas worldwide since 2000. Moreover, China’s investment in renewable energy is larger than any other country. We have 30 percent of world’s installed capacity of renewable energy and the new energy vehicle stock is more than half the world’s total.
中国高度重视应对气候变化问题。中国国家主席习近平9月22日在第七十五届联合国大会一般性辩论讲话中宣布，中国将提高国家自主贡献力度，采取更加有力的政策和措施，二氧化碳排放力争于2030年前达到峰值，努力争取2060年前实现碳中和。中国作为世界上最大的发展中国家，实现产业转型升级、绿色低碳发展的任务十分艰巨，必须付出艰苦的努力才能完成上述目标。但中国应对气候变化是认真的，已提前完成2020年气候行动目标。截至2019年底，中国单位国内生产总值二氧化碳排放比2005年降低48.1%，相当于减排超过50亿吨；已超额完成2030年森林碳汇目标，2000年以来全球新增绿化面积的四分之一来自中国。中国还是可再生能源投资最多的国家，可再生能源装机已占全球的30%，新能源汽车保有量占全球一半以上。
With a keen sense of responsibility for the whole mankind, China actively promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. To achieve this, it is important to build an ecological civilization and a beautiful planet. China has signed agreements and initiatives on addressing climate change with the European Union, France, Germany and other countries, and over 30 Memorandums of Understanding on climate change South-South cooperation with other developing countries. China is a staunch advocate of multilateralism and has always been an active participant and facilitator of the multilateral process of biodiversity. The 15th Conference of the Parties, or COP15, to the Convention on Biological Diversity, will be convened in Kunming next year. As the host, China is making good preparations for it. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently said that China will share with the world China’s experience of advancing biodiversity governance and ecological progress.
中国素有“以天下为己任”的胸怀与担当，积极推动构建人类命运共同体，其中建设生态文明和美丽地球是重要内容之一。中国先后与欧盟、法国、德国等签署了有关应对气候变化的协议和倡议，与其他发展中国家签署了超过30份气候变化南南合作谅解备忘录。中国一直是生物多样性多边进程的积极参与者和推动者。联合国《生物多样性公约》第十五次缔约方大会（COP15）将于明年在中国昆明举办，中国作为东道国，正在积极筹备COP15。习近平主席近期强调，中方愿同各方分享生物多样性治理和生态文明建设经验。
With a long history of cooperation on climate change and the environment, in recent years, China and Canada have achieved positive cooperation results especially in areas such as biodiversity, marine litter and plastics, and clean growth. Both China and Canada have been committed to promoting and implementing the Paris Agreement. Despite the United State’s withdrawal from the Agreement, China and Canada have not stopped our cooperation on climate change. The Ministerial-level Dialogues on climate change have been held between China and Canada, with the MOU signed between the environmental ministries of the two countries. Furthermore, China, Canada, and the EU have also co-hosted the Ministerial meeting on Climate Action, which has played a positive role in promoting the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
中国与加拿大在气候变化和环境领域合作历史悠久，尤其近年来在生物多样性、海洋垃圾和塑料、清洁增长等方面的合作取得了积极成效。中加都一直致力于推动和落实《巴黎协定》，即使在美国宣布退出《巴黎协定》后，中加应对气候变化的合作脚步也未曾停下，先后举办了中加气候变化部长级对话，签署了两国环境部门关于气候变化合作的谅解备忘录。中国、加拿大和欧盟还联合举办“气候行动部长级会议”，为推动落实《巴黎协定》发挥了积极作用。
We’re facing profound changes never seen in a century. The sudden attack of COVID-19 is a grave test for the entire world. COVID-19 will not be the last crisis to confront humanity, so we must join hands and be prepared to meet even more global challenges. Only together can we effectively address climate change, marine pollution, biological conservation, and other global environmental issues. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Canada and other countries to promote green development and a global ecological civilization.
当今世界正经历百年未有之大变局，突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情对全世界是一次严峻考验。新冠肺炎疫情不会是人类面临的最后一次危机，我们必须做好携手迎接更多全球性挑战的准备。人类已进入互联互通的新时代，气候变化、海洋污染、生物保护等环境问题需要全球携手合作、共同应对。中国愿与包括加拿大在内的各国在绿色发展之路上加强合作，共谋全球生态文明建设。