China, India join Copenhagen treaty

https://www.chemnet.com   Mar 11,2010 Global Times

　　China and India aligned Tuesday with the Copenhagen Accord that combats climate change, joining almost all other major greenhouse gas emitters in endorsing the non-binding pact, Reuters reported.

　　Su Wei, the Chinese climate negotiator, told the Bonn-based UN climate change secretariat in an official letter that it could "proceed to include China in the list" of countries supporting the deal reached at the summit in December.

　　Wang Yizhou, vice dean of School of International Studies at Peking University, told the Global Times Wednesday that the move clarified Beijing's resolve to fight climate change.

　　"By joining the accord, China demonstrated its determination to find a path of green development," Wang said. "The decision is not a concession to pressure from foreign countries. Instead, it is a reflection of China's need for sustainable development."

　　In a recent strategy report on sustainable development, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences outlined the framework of China's green development in coming years.

　　"Green development is a path that China must choose for its future," the report said. "During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) and the following decade, the basic concept of China's green development is to prioritize policy making in relevant fields, invest in green technology innovations, improve corporate responsibility of Chinese entities operating overseas, and promote industries that are resource-effective and environmentally friendly."

　　However, a senior Chinese official revealed Wednesday that China's environment is "still deteriorating."

　　"Our environmental quality is only improving in certain areas, but overall the environment is still deteriorating," Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Zhang Lijun told journalists.

　　Although China was fulfilling its 2006-2010 goals of cutting sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand, emissions of other pollutants were rising, Zhang added.

　　Xie Zhenhua, a vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, who represented China in the Copenhagen summit, said 2010 would be a "decisive year" for the country in terms of meeting its energy-saving targets.

　　Also on Tuesday, India signed up to the Copenhagen Accord, following other major developing nations such as Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico in agreeing to have its name listed on the three-page document.

　　More than 100 nations have agreed to be "associated" with the accord, but Russia is the only major greenhouse gas emitter yet to say if it wants to be associated with the deal.

　　Washington has strongly backed the accord–reached by US President Barack Obama in talks with leaders of major emerging economies, including China, in Copenhagen.

　　The document holds out the prospect of climate aid of $100 billion a year from 2020 and sets a target of limiting a rise in world temperatures to below 2 degrees C, but does not commit nations to any binding steps to reach that goal.

　　Environmentalists say the accord was a bare-minimum outcome from a summit originally intended to agree on the shape of a broader, tougher, legally binding pact to fight climate change.

　　Agencies contributed to this story

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