China strides towards dual carbon goal, says COP27 delegate

SHARM EL-SHEIKH -- The Chinese government attaches great importance to addressing climate change and has accelerated the implementation of its dual carbon goal in an all-round way, a Chinese delegate said Sunday.

China implements a national strategy to actively address climate change, and unswervingly follows the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon development, said Zhao Yingmin, head of the Chinese delegation to the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which opened here Sunday.

Zhao, also vice minister of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, made the remarks at a side event on the theme of "Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction Synergy: Achieving Win-Win for Environment, Climate and Economic Benefits" hosted by the ministry.

China has accelerated the implementation of its dual carbon goal, which is to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, in an all-round way, including establishing a national agency to coordinate the top-level design of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and issuing the guidelines on how to achieve the goal, Zhao said.

Given that the emissions of environmental pollutants and carbon dioxide have the same root and process, China regards the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction as a starting point for promoting a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, he said.

"The road of quality development is to reduce carbon while reducing pollution, and reduce pollution while reducing carbon, so as to realize the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and achieve a win-win situation for environmental, climate, economic and social benefits," he said.

China will speed up building a Chinese-style modernization "in which human and nature coexist in harmony," promote green production methods and lifestyles, and actively participate in global climate governance, said the vice minister.

"Together with the international community, we will jointly implement policies and actions to achieve synergies in pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and work together to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to building a clean and beautiful world," Zhao said.