British media: Making China a scapegoat on climate change is a sign of cowardice and inaccurate, and the West must recognize two facts

Source: Global Times

The Morning Star article of the United Kingdom on October 31, the original title: Let China be the scapegoat on climate change is a sign of cowardice, nor is it accurate that former British Business Secretary Sharma – the president of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) appointed by Prime Minister Johnson – tried to put China in the dock. "We expect more (commitments from China)" — he said — that's not the best way to win consensus before a crucial meeting.

At the same time, our media has tried to portray China as the culprit of climate change, saying that China relies on coal and that its Belt and Road Initiative has broad implications for neighboring economies.

On the other hand, Johnson won relatively good press coverage as large multinationals announced a series of carbon-reduction investments funded by the British government.

There are two problems here. One is a fact, and the other is a comparison of methods between two different social systems. In terms of per capita carbon emissions, China is now about 7.3 tons, compared with 15.2 tons in the United States, more than 1 times more than China.

What is more striking, however, is the pace at which China is developing zero-carbon technologies. In 2016, the installed capacity of photovoltaics in the European Union was 101 GW, and in China it was 78 GW. Today's numerical comparisons have reversed. China is 204 GW and the European Union is 134 GW. The same is true for wind power. In 2014, the installed capacity of wind power in the European Union was 128 GW, compared with 114 GW in China. Today, China is 281 GW and the European Union is 201 GW.

In terms of related technologies, China is far ahead. China produces 80% of the world's photovoltaic modules; it has more than two-thirds of the world's high-speed electric trains. China's electric vehicles are almost the same as those of the United States and the European Union combined — 57 percent of its investment in Belt and Road energy projects goes to renewables, up from just 28 percent two years ago.

At the same time, China, like other developing countries, recognizes the magnitude of the challenge. China must meet the development needs of its people without jeopardizing the long-term future of itself and its planet. China is now committed to peaking its carbon emissions by 2030. Will U.S. per capita emissions fall to the same level by then?

This brings us to the question of the social system. China wants to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035. China has used private capital. In recent times, this is within the boundaries of politically and socially set development goals – particularly in terms of the technologies needed to combat climate change.

What are the UK, THE US and EU doing? As with the response to the pandemic, a large amount of government funding is given to the private sector, often to large corporations.

In China, electric trains are manufactured by a state-owned company; electricity is produced by state-owned companies. Trains and electric buses are operated by public institutions. The Belt and Road Initiative spreads these technologies.

Sharma actually knew all this. Using China as a scapegoat for the problem is nothing more than a matter of convenience obscuring the real challenges we face. (Translated by Chen Jun'an)