Clearing the Air

The 20th Conference of the Parties （COP20） of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） in Lima， Peru， didn’t end as planned on December 12， 2014， and finally adjourned after a 32-hour extension， due to drastically different opinions of involved parties. The conference aimed at signing a new， legallybinding treaty on climate change at the 21st session in Paris in 2015.

Delegates concluded the meeting by outlining the basic elements of the new agreement， scheduled to be finalized in Paris in late 2015， while also setting ground rules on how all countries can support the new agreement during the first quarter of next year. The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions （INDCs） will form the foundation for climate action after 2020 when the new agreement is set to come into effect. During the two-weeklong COP20， delegates also made significant progress in elevating adaptation onto the same level as action to cut and curb emissions.

Divergence

As always， disagreements surrounding old problems between developed and developing countries persisted. The essential dilemma focuses on the common but differentiated responsibilities already defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Developing countries contend today’s climate change can be largely attributed to accumulated emissions over the past 270 years， for which developed countries should take greater responsibility. Not only should they fulfill commitments of emission reduction， they are also expected to provide financial support to developing countries to help them better adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Developed countries， conversely， argue that all countries on the planet should be equally responsible， insisting that emerging countries， including China and India， should adopt a universal emission reduction system.

As a matter of fact， developed countries transferred many industries to developing countries with the rise of globalization， sweeping it under the rug. So they should bear greater responsibility for today’s situation.

Funding remained a major issue during negotiations on climate change through every stage of the conference. “Opening one’s purse is as painful as cutting his own flesh，” goes an old saying. As with many other issues， developed countries have been persistently reluctant， consistently avoiding straightforward promises or failing to fulfill promises down the line.

The Green Climate Fund （GCF） has developed smoothly over the past few years： US$10 billion will be raised as expected. Nevertheless， in the long run， collecting the total pledged funds from developed countries， US$100 billion by 2020， is still a pipe dream. Developing countries Peru， Columbia and Mexico have pledged contributions of US$6 million， 6 million， and 10 million respectively， for the fund， which originally only required capital injection from developed countries. Moreover， developing countries such as Mongolia， Indonesia and Panama are considering injecting capital into GCF.

China’s Determination

Twenty days before the Lima conference， Chinese and American leaders issued the Joint China-US Statement on Climate Change. China pledged to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 or sooner and increase its share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030.

As appraised by the Brookings Institution， China’s goal of increasing its share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030 is tantamount to realizing an annual electricity production in America with green energy in 16 years， which is a world-changing deal. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also complimented the declaration as an important impetus – “inspiring progress”amidst the struggle to reach a global climate agreement in 2015.

Since 2011， the Chinese government has invested 270 million yuan in enhancing developing countries’ capability to handle climate change and has trained approximately 2，000 officials and technicians from these countries. At the UN Climate Summit held in September 2014， China announced doubling its current fund， establishing a South-South Cooperation Fund to help developing countries address climate change issues， and a donation of US$6 million to support Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with his efforts in this realm.

Everything evidences that not only has the issue of climate change drawn close attention from the Chinese government， but that it has become public consensus. As reported by Financial Times on December 3， 2014， the first survey by Ipsos MORI showed that the Chinese public has a good understanding of the reasons causing climate change. At COP20 on December 9， Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy noted that China has set a good example for the rest of the world in its efforts to address the climate change issue. As a developing country， China has scheduled its peak carbon emissions and offered as much assistance as it can to the outside.

Basic Facts about Developing Countries

During the Lima conference， foreign media questioned China’s voice as a developing country and urged China， which has already contributed tremendously， to take action beyond its stage of development and capability.

People might be misled by statistics showing China’s ranking top in the world in terms of the economic totals and growth， which are surely inspiring， and indeed many Chinese citizens now own fancy cars and purchase luxury property abroad. China is indeed the world’s largest trader， with the greatest foreign exchange reserve.

Gross numbers steer focus from the fact that China is still a developing country. In 2013， for example， its per capita GDP averaged around US$7，000 – one seventh of that of the United States and considerably lower than US$13，460， the median global average. In terms of per capita GDP， China ranks about 100th in the world， trailing many other developing countries such as Botswana， Turkmenistan， Dominica， and Montenegro. According to statistics from the World Bank， some 100 million Chinese people are plagued by “extreme poverty”with a daily expenditure of less than one US dollar.

Even so， Xie Zhenhua， vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission， declared， “As a developing country， China has been actively committed to addressing issues of climate change– as part of domestic demand to build a beautiful country and realize sustainable development， as well as acting as a responsible global player. This is not what we are asked to do， but what we want to do.”