In just two weeks hundreds of stakeholders and thousands of observers will convene for the 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework in Copenhagen, Denmark. The world will be looking specifically to the United States, India, and especially China to make strong commitments to a progressive climate treaty. Many have doubts about potential outcomes from COP 15 for a post-Kyoto agreement. However, it is not only national governments that have a role to play in addressing climate change. In China, Greengrants grantees are working to raise awareness and educate their communities about the impacts of climate change, building momentum to act on this critical issue.
Climate Change and China
With the Copenhagen conference looming ahead, Chinese officials have increasingly addressed the issue of climate change with ambitious rhetoric and promises. China is both the world leader in economic growth and carbon emissions. A report by Forbes magazine in 2006 listed China as home to all ten of the world’s most polluted cities. In February 2007, the Fourth Assessment of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) specifically addressed China’s growing vulnerability to climate change-related disasters. Particularly, the study highlighted the increasing occurrence of droughts and floods in different regions, which will further contribute to already severe water shortages and topsoil erosion.
Building Support for Climate Change Solutions
Unlike the frustrating skeptics that obstruct climate legislation in the United States, the veracity of climate change has hardly been an issue in China. Rather, it is the burden of taking responsibility that has stalled the country. Global Greengrants Fund’s China Advisory Board is coordinated by prominent Chinese environmentalist Wen Bo and comprised of environmental leaders from around the country. The China Board has identified climate change as a key priority, and has made numerous grants to groups working on the front lines to raise awareness about climate issues in China.
Greengrants grantee China Youth Climate Action Network (CYCAN) has received several grants to increase awareness about climate change impacts in China among students and youth organizations. CYCAN created and distributed a China Youth Climate Change Guidebook, which was used by university campuses to build student awareness and activism on climate change issues. The Network, which is made up of seven youth organizations, also completed an energy consumption survey in sixteen universities, as part of the organization’s work initiating campus activities around climate change. Additionally, CYCAN will be leading a youth delegation at the Copenhagen conference.
Greengrants grantee Green Anhui, along with CYCAN, helped host a climate action day in Heifei in Anhui province. The climate action day was part of the October 24th International Day of Climate Action organized by 350.org in an effort to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and the Copenhagen conference. 350.org, a climate advocacy organization, had coalition members plan climate action days around the globe, involving thousands of people participating in everything from bike parades to holding rallies on the summits of mountains. To listen to radio coverage of Heifei climate action day, click here. Green Anhui seeks to coordinate the operation of the student-run environmental groups in the Anhui province so they can share information and strategies with each other. (*Fast forward to minute 5:10 of the radio clip)
Looking Ahead to China’s Carbon Future
As China’s population and economy continue to expand, China’s per capita carbon emissions, which are currently very low, will also increase unless robust measures are taken. Because China is a one-party, authoritarian government, and most of the power companies are state-owned, changes in energy policy are largely driven by the government. China recently set two ambitious goals: deriving at least 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and reducing energy intensity per unit of GDP by 20 percent over a five-year period.
With these targets in place, and the eyes of the world watching in Copenhagen, we are hopeful that meaningful commitments will be made, facilitating the cutting-edge and innovative work of our grantees in China. We also know that even if the Chinese government does not act during COP 15, the grassroots movement in China is already in motion and clearly setting the stage for climate change to remain a priority for all stakeholders in China.
Read more about climate change efforts in China in an article from the Christian Science Monitor.