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Renewable energy key in climate change fight

Author  :  ZHENG QINGTING     Source  :    Chinese Social Sciences Today     2017-06-19

World leaders met less than a week after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the landmark Paris climate accord at the eighth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8) in Beijing from June 6 to 8. Participants said climate change is one of the most urgent global challenges, and countries around the world are working together to address climate change, so Trump’s climate and energy policies cannot reverse the historical trend.

More than 600 participants, including delegates from 26 member countries and one observer country, together with NGO and private sector leaders gathered in Beijing. These participants joined in three days of closed-door roundtables, technology exhibitions, forums, and side events.

The summit reveals the common concern of the entire international community with the development and application of clean energy, and it will start a new chapter of innovation in renewable energy, said Wang Gang, Chinese minister of Science and Technology, in the opening speech.

Chen Jining, the environmental minister and the newly appointed acting mayor of Beijing, said it is urgent to establish a research and application system of clean energy in light of increasing global energy demands and the growing awareness of environmental protection. Chen said he expects the summit to bring opportunities and drive the creation of global clean energy policy as well as technological innovation.

Despite Trump’s decision, global efforts to address climate change and develop renewable energy are accelerating because renewable energy is an inevitable strategic choice for small enterprises all the way up to countries, said Li Junfeng, former director of National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation at a side event under the framework of CEM8 , jointly hosted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), together with the US-China Energy Cooperation Program and the Swedish Energy Agency.

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is the key to global climate action and China’s low carbon transformation, and around 84 percent of China’s electricity generation will be met by renewable sources by 2050. This would allow China to achieve its economic and social development targets even if China stop using fossil fuels then, said Lo Sze Ping, directorgeneral of the WWF in China.

Editor: Yu Hui

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