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Interview: China "indispensable" in global climate change agenda, UNEP chief

Xinhua, November 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The global community regards China as an indispensable partner in the efforts to re-energize the fight against climate change, said Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Erik Solheim.

Solheim, who was in May approved by the UN General Assembly to succeed Achim Steiner as the UNEP chief, hailed China's contribution to advancing the global green agenda.

"China is providing business solutions to climate change," Solheim said during an interview with Xinhua, praising China's heavy investment in solar energy.

"In the next ten years, it will be a major player in the global environmental agenda," he said.

He credited China's robust leadership for the adoption of Paris climate deal in December last year.

"Without China's push, there would be no Paris climate deal. Both China and the United States re-energized the momentum leading to the adoption of Paris Agreement," said the UNEP chief.

China announced ratification of the Paris climate deal on September 3, ahead of the G20 summit held in the city of Hangzhou.

At the G20 summit, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to pursuing a green and inclusive growth.

Solheim noted that the G20 summit provided an opportunity for China to demonstrate its stewardship of the global green agenda through political commitment, climate finance and greater adoption of cleaner technologies.

He noted that China played an instrumental role in the adoption of a new global pact to limit production and use of chemicals that harm the ozone layer at a summit held in the Rwandan capital Kigali in October.

China's diplomatic clout alongside technological and financial edge will be critical to speeding up implementation of the Paris climate deal, according to Solheim.

Solheim also hailed China's role in leading global efforts to promote technology transfer and financing toward climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"China can contribute immensely to global fight against climate change. It is an indispensable partner in major global issues," the UNEP chief said, adding that China-funded transport infrastructure projects in Africa like speed trains will boost green development in the continent.

"The international community has drawn inspiration from China's robust efforts to lower carbon emissions against a backdrop of rapid industrial growth."

Solheim added that China's rapid transition from brown to green growth is an inspiration to developing countries grappling with devastating impacts of climate change. Endit