Improving top-level design, China's six major fields and four major industries have basically formed green, low-carbon, and four major carbon peaking implementation plans
CCTV News: Today is National Low Carbon Day, and the theme of this year's Low Carbon Day is "Actively Responding to Climate Change and Promoting Green and Low Carbon Development". The reporter learned from the National Center for Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation that China has achieved positive results in addressing climate change in the past decade, and a policy and action guarantee system for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality has been basically formed.
According to preliminary calculations, the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of China's GDP in 2022 decreased by 36.7% compared to 2012, and the proportion of non fossil energy consumption reached 17.5%, an increase of 7.8 percentage points compared to 2012. While carbon emission intensity has decreased, forest coverage has also significantly increased. At present, the national forest coverage rate has reached 24.02%, and the forest volume is 19.493 billion cubic meters, exceeding the target for 2025. These visible changes cannot be separated from the gradual improvement of the top-level design.
Xu Huaqing, Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation: In the past decade, we have issued the National Climate Change Plan, the 13th Five Year Plan for Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and the National Climate Change Strategy 2035. We have also introduced the Action Plan for Carbon Peaking before 2030, which can be said to have basically formed a package of policies, actions, and guarantee systems for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
Experts introduce that currently, six major sectors in China, including energy, industry, urban-rural development, transportation, agriculture and rural areas, pollution reduction and carbon reduction, as well as four major industries such as steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemical and chemical industries, and building materials, have basically formed carbon peak implementation plans. In addition, measures to ensure green consumption, finance, technology, and other aspects are gradually being improved.
The carbon market has been running steadily for two years, and the overall quota distribution will be tightened
The National Carbon Emission Trading Market is an institutional innovation in China that utilizes market mechanisms to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote green and low-carbon development. The carbon market has been established for almost two years. What is the overall situation now?
The cumulative trading volume is 238 million tons, and the cumulative transaction amount is 10.91 billion yuan. This is the cumulative trading data of carbon quotas in the national carbon emission trading market as of the end of June this year. At China Carbon Emission Rights Registration and Settlement Co., Ltd. located in Wuhan, Hubei, a new thermal power enterprise is undergoing account opening procedures. At present, there are more than 300 newly registered enterprises here, and the number of thermal power enterprises participating in carbon emission trading has reached 2532. In the past two years, the operation of the national carbon market has not only increased the number of participating enterprises, but also made the allocation of carbon emission rights and market operation management more reasonable.
Lu Xinming, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment: The quota compliance rate for the first compliance cycle reached 99.5%, and the effect is still very good. Through the operation of the carbon market for two years, enterprises should have significantly increased their awareness of emission reduction and their enthusiasm for energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation.
Experts introduce that as the carbon market operates on track, the distribution of carbon quotas will gradually tighten, prompting participating companies to adjust their energy structure, accelerate technological progress, and effectively control and reduce emissions.
Xu Huaqing, Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation: We still hope that power companies, especially coal-fired power companies, will strictly control new coal-fired power projects from a long-term perspective, increase the development of renewable energy, and strengthen their own energy-saving and low-carbon transformation.