InterviewwithHEAmbassadorSongZhe.docVIP

Head of the Mission of the Peoples Republic of China to the European Union by the European Voice on Climate Change 1. How do you look at climate change issues? What is China’s response to climate change? A: The issue of climate change is a major challenge facing the entire human race. This issue requires a comprehensive, all-dimensional and historical perspective. It requires all countries to cooperate and respond. Some developed countries argue that China’s carbon reduction intensity is not ambitious enough, and even demand an increase of China’s target. Such argument is neither objective nor fair. China is a developing country, there are still 150 million people living in poverty. Meanwhile, Chinas energy structure is dominated by coal, and China faces huge pressure and special difficulty to control GHG emissions. For such a developing country like China, development will necessarily imply reasonable increase of energy demand and corresponding emissions. Tackling climate change should not sacrifice development, or continue poverty and backwardness. Some developed countries are talking about Chinas total emission, but they seem to forget that China has a 1.3 billion population. In 2006, 1.3 billion Chinese people emit 5.6 billion tons of CO2, accounting for 20% of the world’s total. Developed countries, with less than 1 billion people, emit about 12.9 billion tons, accounting for 46% of the world’s total. Because of development needs and needs to improve people’s lives, we must maintain a reasonable space of emission, and is it possible to ask the Chinese people to enjoy 20% or 30% of the rights of developed countries in terms of economic development, energy consumption or corresponding emission? The targets of China are no less ambitious than any developed countries. From 1990 to 2005, CO2 emission intensity per unit of GDP of all developed countries only dropped by 26%, China dropped by 46%. Chinas 40-45% target at 2020 is already reaching the limit. We must emp