Focus on Arts and Ecology

The big environmental stories in the Chinese media this week (30 Aug - 5 Sep)

Li Gao, head of the Ministry of Environment and Ecology’s climate department, told reporters that China has been “proactively preparing” for this month’s UNSG Climate Action Summit in New York.

He said China places a “high level of importance” on the summit, for which it has been tasked with developing an actionable plan on nature-based solutions to climate change. Li reiterated that China is a “participant, contributor and a leader” in the global climate governance space, and expressed his hopes for cooperation and multilateralism on the issue.

Questioned by Reuters on whether China can meet its pledge to peak emissions by 2030, Li was unequivocal that it can and will. He emphasised, however, that the target presents a challenge that “should not be underestimated”. He stressed the importance of the next Five Year Plan (2021 to 2025), as a key period for realising “high-quality development”.

Reuters later reported an off-script comment made by Li on the sidelines of the press conference, claiming that the China-US trade war is making it “more difficult for China to tackle climate change.”

Li also revealed that the ministry is working on plans to expand, in the next Five Year Plan period, China’s new carbon market beyond just the power sector.

Read chinadialogue’s earlier reporting on China’s carbon market which is set to become the world’s largest emissions trading system.