China’s Next Steps After COP21
Hailed as one of the greatest diplomatic efforts of the past 30 years, 196 countries came to an agreement on December 12th, to take steps to reduce the risk of a global temperature rise beyond 2 degrees. An effort that once again went down to the wire, theagreement represents the start of a long road towards climate change mitigation. It’s a road that many are already calling unrealistic, but for others the agreement itself was a major achievement because it’s the first time that all the major parties, including the United States, were able to reach a consensus.
It’s a framework that has imperfections, particularly because it’s non-binding and void of specific steps that need to, or will, be taken. However, make no mistake, this agreement should be seen as a solid foundation that will lead to action .
For many, the hard work starts now, but for the US and China, this can be seen as a continuation on the work that resulted in the September US-China Joint Statement on Climate Change. It provided a framework that will ensure that developing countries, like China and India, will (re)set the models for how their countries will try to prosper over the next 35 years, whilst developed countries and regions like the US and EU will look more towards how they can clean up their already mature economies.
It’s a framework that in many ways represents what many had hoped would be agreed on in Paris, particularly on areas of emissions commitments, technology transfer, and financing mechanisms.
Going forward though, and in considering the challenges that will be faced as China drives to urbanize another 300 million people by 2030, the agreements made in Paris lay the groundwork for five specific actions:
Reduction in energy intensive industries
As China draws closer to 2030 and the end of its large-scale urban development, which for so long has been the basis of its economy and energy use, its footprint will naturally begin to decrease. With the urban centers well established and growth of its urban population stabilizing, energy intensive industries such as cement, steel, glass, and aluminum will be replaced by a greater contribution of the service economy, and reductions in resources (energy) intensity will be seen throughout the economy.
Fonte: Forbes
