Xi: China is committed to cut carbon intensity and curb global warming

World Today

Chin’s President Xi Jinping addresses world leaders at the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Chinese President ‪Xi Jinping‬ has said that China is committed to cut carbon intensity and curb global warming, during his address at the Paris Climate Summit.

More than 150 world leaders attended the opening ceremony of ‪‎COP21‬ on Monday, the largest ever gathering of leaders at a UN event on a single day, lending their public support to the fight against climate change.

Xi began his speech offering condolences to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, and emphasized the fact that the leaders of the world had gathered in the French capital showed that terrorism cannot stop the world from fighting global warming.

Calling COP21 “a beginning” in the fight against climate change, the Chinese president went said that he hoped the summit will yield a comprehensive, balanced and legally binding accord that adheres to the principle of common but different responsibilities.

Within that context, he urged developed countries to honor the commitment of providing 100 billion US dollars annually for the climate fund by 2020.

Speaking of China’s climate policy, Xi said that China will cut carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent based on 2005 levels by 2030 and increase non-fossil fuel energy by 20 percent at the same time. He added that China has included these goals in its next five-year economic plan.

China has set up carbon trading markets in seven pilot cities, which has already made the country the second largest carbon trading market in the world. Xi said China will build the world’s largest carbon market in 2017.

He further went on to elaborate China’s efforts in assisting other developing countries in tackling climate change, announcing that it will help construct 10 low-carbon pilot zones in developing countries and set up 100 climate projects and 1,000 training posts in 2016.

Discussing South-South cooperation, Xi said that China will create a 20 billion yuan South-South climate fund to aid developing countries.

Earlier, on the sidelines of COP21, Xi and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, leaders of the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, agreed on the responsibility to act on climate change.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the meeting, Obama said that the U.S. helped create the problem of climate change and will help fix it. He also urged the world to rise to the moment at COP21.‪

CCTV NEWS Story.