Official: Latest temperature goal is illogical

Many developed countries have yet to meet their emission reduction targets

It will be "impractical" to lift the world's target of limiting global temperature rise this century to 1.5 C above preindustrial levels, considering the huge costs in doing so and its negative impact on the global economy, a Chinese climate change official said.

Lu Xinmin, deputy director general of climate change in the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, also said the fact that many developed countries have yet to fulfill their emission reduction targets before 2020 is also a reminder that such an increase is irrational.

Lu made the remarks during a news conference on Friday in response to some countries calling for more intense climate action by raising the targets included in the landmark Paris Agreement before this year's United Nations climate change conference, which is set to be held in Madrid from Dec 2 to 13.

They made the appeal against the backdrop of a special report published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the impacts of global warming in October 2018.

The report highlighted a number of effects that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5 C.

In addition, some countries are also looking to achieve global carbon neutrality - limiting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally - by 2050.

While acknowledging that it is better for the world to have a smaller temperature decrease, Lu said it is more realistic for the world to stay on the track of the consensus reached in the Paris Agreement.

"We have been in negotiations for so many years and reached a global consensus (in the Paris Agreement) after repeated reviews and arguments, but it has yet to be implemented," he said.

The Paris Agreement, which will be implemented after 2020, aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 C and to pursue efforts to limit it even further to 1.5 C. The deal sets the goal of realizing carbon neutrality between 2050 and 2100.

Lu also warned that the cost will make the more ambitious target unrealistic.

"The cost to reach the 1.5 C target will be three to five times that of a 2 C target," he noted.

"You are promoting an impractical targe...on this issue, we should be clear-minded."

China does not oppose any countries, either developed or developing, who want to beef up their carbon reduction targets, but you cannot force all the nations in the world to walk toward such a more ambitious goal because it will have a huge negative impact on the global economy, he added.

Lu said developed countries' failure in fulfilling their current targets also adds to the difficulties in curbing temperature rise.

The upcoming UN climate change conference will check to see how developed countries have worked to fulfill their compulsory targets before 2020.

So far, however, the targets of many developed countries have not been reached, he said.

"Under such circumstances, some of the developed countries put forward a higher target to show their stronger proactivity (in enhancing climate action)," Lu said. "They might do that on purpose to mislead the international community and the media to build positive images.

The fact is, however, the inadequate contributions from developed countries are resulting in upward pressure on curbing global warming, he stressed.