On 2 December 2019, the COSC, in partnership with the World Resources Institute and Tsinghua University, held a side event on “Climate Risks and Adaptation” in the “China Pavilion” of the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain. Experts addressing the event included those from the COSC, the China Ministry of Ecology and Environment, World Resources Institute, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and institutes based in California, US.

Mr. Zhao Bing, COSC Vice Chairman, speaking at the event

In his remarks, Mr. Zhao Bing, COSC Vice Chairman underlined China’s commitment to climate adaptability and explained China’s national strategy that focused on both mitigation and adaptation and an environment and climate governance system guided by the government, spearheaded by businesses, and widely participated by NGOs and the general public. He noted that China was honoring its emission reduction commitments, enhancing climate adaptability, and upholding multilateralism, dialogue and cooperation to enable progress in coping with climate change. He called for greater international dialogue and cooperation and a fair and reasonable global climate governance system that favors cooperation and delivers wide spread benefits.

Mr. Sun Zhen, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, spoke about China’s national strategy for mitigation and adaptation and its commitment to multilateralism and the Paris Agreement. According to him, China fights climate change in the interest of a global community as well as that of its own sustainable development and never shies away from responsibilities that match China’s level of development and national conditions.

Counsellor of the State Council Li Yuguang delivering a keynote speech

Counsellor of the State Council Xu Yifan delivering a keynote speech

Counsellor of the State Council Li Yuguang made a speech entitled “Green and extended development of the Yangtze River Basin”, in which he addressed the development goals, strategies, and effects. Counsellor Xu Yifan shared China’s progress in building sponge cities and how to broaden the scope of the program in his speech “urban and rural wetland protection and restoration from a sponge-city prospective”. Mr. Rhys Gerholdt, Director of Climate Communications Program at the World Resources Institute, reviewed the mitigation actions by US subnational governments in a bottom-up climate approach. Mr. David Waskow, Director of the International Climate Initiative at World Resources Institute, called for stronger global leadership to enhance the restorative capacity of the climate.

COSC research fellow He Jiankun moderating panel discussion

Professor He Jiankun, COSC research fellow and Deputy Director of China National Expert Panel on Climate Change, moderated the panel discussion of Chinese and US experts on the situations and policies of energy revolution and climate change in the two countries. Candid discussions were also conducted on the carbon market, regional cooperation, and sponge city development which increased mutual understanding.

Ms. Wang Jing, Deputy Director General of the COSC International Exchanges and Cooperation Department, chaired the side event. Country delegates and journalists taking part in the Conference were present at the event and interacted with Chinese and US experts.

This event marks the sixth time for the COSC to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference after the previous ones in Durban, Doha, Morocco, Bonn, and Poland.