Uk-China Partnership Opportunities: Cop26 And Cop15

Next year offers two great opportunities for nature and climate. The second (26th) Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP26, will take place in Glasgow, UK, in November to discuss how to make global progress on climate change. The international community has also agreed on a new Paris-style agreement for nature, called the Global Framework for Biodiversity after 2020. [Sources: 4]

At a time when the planet is facing an interconnected health, climate and nature crisis, the UK Presidency of UNFCCC COP26 offers an unprecedented opportunity for British leadership on environmental and climate issues. The coming months are crucial to repairing humanity’s fractured relationship with nature, and to putting society on a more resilient path to sustainable development that puts human health, the planet, and social well-being at the heart of it. COP26, CBD and COP15, hosted by China, represent a multilateral moment of enormous importance, as a new global framework for biodiversity has been agreed, aimed at halting the catastrophic decline of nature and positioning the protection and restoration of intact ecosystems for nature recovery as a central objective of the policy framework. [Sources: 5]

Climate change, nature loss and social inequality must be addressed in order to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is positive to see that progress is being made at global level. In September, China announced that it would reach a peak in CO2 emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. [Sources: 4]

Together with the EU, the UK, Canada and many others, it will adopt the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. President Xi Jinping’s announcement at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly was welcomed by several world leaders. There was a strong signal that China takes its responsibility for a solid green recovery plan after COVID-19 very seriously. [Sources: 4]

China’s technological development, investment in innovation, and financial capacity clearly contribute to prioritizing biodiversity and play a leading role. Key areas for the negotiations on the road to Kunming are objectives, protected areas, financing and implementation mechanisms. The revised targets must relate to the five drivers identified in the CBD as the basis for biodiversity loss: changes in land and marine use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive species. [Sources: 1]

As COP26 approaches, the dynamic between China and Britain continues. This cooperation is reflected in the Green Investment Principles (GIP) for China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed at the 9th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue and signed in partnership with China’s Green Finance Committee, supported by the respective governments. This is proof that the UK and China are working together to ensure that infrastructure investment is profitable and sustainable and meets the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. [Sources: 3]

As we move forward, I see three main objectives for the coming year in terms of UK-China cooperation in the field of green finance. Firstly, the commitment of more than 110 other countries to accelerate the path to meet the United Nations target of reaching net zero by 2050. [Sources: 3]

Ambassador Liu: China believes that the private sector is an important force for environmental protection and green development. China adheres to the concept of open, green and sustainable development and works closely with BRI partners to build the Green Belt and Road. China is also working with developed countries, including the UK, to create the green belt and pool its efforts in international cooperation on climate change. [Sources: 6]

The host of COP15 has enabled China and the UK to play a leading role in promoting global governance on climate change. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have reached an important political consensus and intensified coordination and mutual support for the direction of COP15, COP26 and COP26. A joint China-UK working group has been set up at working level. I myself have remained in touch with Minister Alok Sharma and Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK Government’s regional ambassador for COP26. In close communication with the Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu and Secretary Sharma. [Sources: 6]

Dunne hopes that the UK and China will step up dialogue and consultations to make the two conferences a success and play a leading role in the global response to climate change and green development. Ambassador Liu took questions from participants in the webinar on preparations for COP15 on UK-China cooperation on new energy, China’s coal power development, BRI green investment and coal project financing, and business participation in both countries at COP26 and COP15. Participants thanked Ambassador Liu for his comprehensive presentation on China’s response to climate change, for his proposals for China-UK cooperation, for his commitment to President Xi’s engagement on this issue at the United Nations, and for acknowledging China’s efforts to support global green recovery and development through policy, finance, and technology. They hope that the two countries will support each other in their cooperation to ensure the success of COP26. [Sources: 2]

Philip Dunne MP, chairman of the Environmental Audit Select Committee, took part in the discussion on the possibilities of an environmental partnership between the UK and China. At the COP26 conference in Glasgow and the COP15 conference and the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming next year, all parties to the Parliamentary Group on China were welcomed by He as special guests. [Sources: 8]

Given the importance of political relations between China and various European partners, the EU and regional organisations will play an important role in reaching agreements with their Chinese partners. The importance of projects at the national level in China’s development process will also have an impact on bilateral agreements. [Sources: 7]

The ILCC in Shenzhen is a national low-carbon pilot project in China. It was launched in 2012 with the aim of becoming one of the national low-carbon urban planning models for future low-carbon planning. The project was the first cooperation project between Dutch and Chinese partners and has since been extended to other countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Australia and the USA. A study by UNNC experts examined the impact of these countries on the development process of the project and the long-term benefits of such partners through knowledge transfer and resource gathering. [Sources: 7]

Italy is a partner of the UK Government in leading COP26. Its role has largely been to carry out preparatory work, such as organising meetings and events for young people in the run-up to COP26, called Youth4Climate 2020, to promote ambition. Nigel Topping, a former CEO of We Mean Business, a climate change organisation, has been appointed senior climate campaigner for COP26 by the UK government. [Sources: 0]

Both the CBD and COP15 will convene China-led UN negotiations on revised targets and a new international framework for nature restoration and conservation, more than 10 years after the 2010 Aichi Goals were agreed, none of which were achieved. Although they do not have the same media and political profile, climate change is at least as important. [Sources: 1]

Sources:

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

[1]: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/03/kick-starting-green-recovery-2021/opportunities-arc-engagement

[2]: https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/zwjg_665342/zwbd_665378/t1824357.shtml

[3]: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-04-01/road-to-cop26-china-and-britain-can-be-proud-of-green-finance-cooperation-but-not-complacent-101684681.html

[4]: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/nature-china-ally-climate-change/

[5]: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/5738/html/

[6]: http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/ambassador/t1824125.htm

[7]: https://cbi.typepad.com/china_direct/climate-change/

[8]: https://appcg.org.uk/uk-china-partnership-opportunities-cop26-and-cop15/