China's strategy sends clear message to the world, European official says

China has made impressive efforts in combating climate change, according to the head of the European Parliament's China delegation.

Jo Leinen said the country's decision to peak emissions no later than 2030 and its readiness to take part in a five-year review process of the voluntary national emission reduction targets send a clear message to the world.

"Investments in carbon-friendly technologies can help to accelerate the decarbonization of our economies," Leinen said.

The Paris summit can be a "historic moment", but any pledges must be followed by concrete steps, Leinen said.

Brussels and Beijing need to increase their commitments to attain their climate goals, he said. "If in Paris the biggest emitters - the United States and China - turn up with ambitious goals and objectives, I expect Europe to step up its efforts," he said.

"All parties involved in the Paris climate change conference will have to work constructively to develop the basic elements of the agreement and we, as Europeans, should play a key role."

Leinen, who formerly chaired the EU Parliament's Committee on the Environment, said China and the European Union "must remain on the front line and broker the best possible deal".

"Paris will test EU diplomacy. A sort of 'Paris alliance' for a legally binding climate deal should be established in order to guarantee success," he said.

"We in Europe would like to see China hit the peak of its CO2 emissions sooner than 15 years from now, as we are aware that the peak year of 2030 is a conservative estimate," said Leinen.

He has been a member of the European Parliament representing Germany since 1999.

The EU and China are cooperating on climate protection, including technology transfers, power generation, transportation and building pilot projects in China for emissions trading.

Leinen said he hopes this cooperation can be further strengthened. But he said several issues remain unresolved, such as the financing of global climate protection and commitments by individual countries.

He said finding the money is one of the main challenges, adding, "Who is going to come up with the hundreds of billions of euros that will have to be presented in Paris?"

Leinen said the 28-member EU will have the responsibility of overcoming differences between developing and industrialized countries. Paris will be a "tough test for the EU's capacity to lead climate diplomacy", he added.

A lot more trust needs to be created among all parties if a "road map" for the financing of global climate protection beyond 2020 is to be established, Leinen said, adding that financial commitments are crucial for developing countries' readiness to accept a compromise.

He said that after the failure of the climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, the EU cannot afford another failure because "mankind is running the risk of losing the race against global warming and may be unable to contain it to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius".

"We have no time to lose. China will be a decisive partner in finding a solution that respects the common but differentiated responsibility for climate protection and that includes ... all countries ... with their individual contributions to the common good."

Martin Banks is a freelance reporter for China Daily

martinbanks2009@gmail.com

(China Daily 12/01/2015 page3)