【By Guan Chaoren, Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

"You can't ask China to cut emissions while complaining about China's affordable electric vehicles being promoted globally..."

When talking about the defamation and attacks by leaders of the United States and European countries on China's growing dominance in the renewable energy field, the President of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, André Corrêa do Lago, bluntly pointed out that the West was acting disgracefully.

He continued to tell the New York Times, "If they really care about climate issues, this (China's technology greatly reducing clean energy costs) is actually a good news."

At the time of COP30 held in Belém, Brazil, the New York Times used the words of this Brazilian senior diplomat to point out that, with the United States blocking climate actions and Europe struggling to achieve green visions, it is actually China's industrial policies that are deeply shaping the development trajectories of some of the fastest-growing economies.

The article published on October 10th analyzed that multiple large rapidly growing economies where most of the world's population resides have shown unexpected changes, which are largely driven by China's rise as a superpower in clean technology. China's massive manufacturing investments have significantly reduced clean energy costs, allowing these countries to reduce fossil fuel imports, rely more on renewable energy, and achieve the dual goals of cost savings and energy security.

On November 10th local time, Belém, Brazil, COP30 UN Climate Summit, André Corrêa do Lago (right), President of COP30, at a press conference. Visual China

Data from the Net Zero Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University also confirms China's role in promoting this change: Since 2011, China has invested over $225 billion in global manufacturing, with three-quarters of this going to "Global South" countries. After adjusting for inflation, this amount exceeds the investment of the U.S. Marshall Plan after World War II.

But unlike the Marshall Plan, which had ulterior motives of exchanging aid for hegemony, China's investments have genuinely helped many emerging economies catch up with the green economy. People have also seen that the focus of global climate action is shifting:

Countries like Brazil, India, and Vietnam are rapidly expanding their solar and wind power capacities; poorer countries such as Ethiopia and Nepal have skipped gasoline cars and directly transitioned to electric vehicles; oil-rich Nigeria plans to build its first solar panel manufacturing plant; Morocco is building a battery industry hub; Santiago, the capital of Chile, has recently achieved over half of its bus fleet being electrified; Brazil has increased car import tariffs to attract Chinese automakers such as BYD and Great Wall Motors to set up factories locally...

"From a climate perspective, developing countries are coming up with solutions," added Corrêa do Lago, "I think emerging countries will play a new role in this climate conference."

Ani Dasgupta, head of the World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental research and advocacy organization, also said that this fully demonstrates that economic development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions can go hand in hand.

"Emerging economies are central to this process," he said, "We must pay attention to them because they have the largest population, the largest number of poor people, and their energy demand is constantly increasing. If these economies don't make changes, the world cannot move towards a safer future."

The article openly stated that ten years ago, when the Paris Agreement was signed, it was the rich industrialized countries such as the United States and Europe that pressured developing countries to accelerate reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But developing countries responded that they also had the right to industrialization, urging wealthy countries to fund their transition to clean energy. However, most of these financial supports were not fulfilled, and the dissatisfaction of developing countries' leaders still exists.

Now, the global economic landscape has quietly changed. "Ten years ago, we had political commitments, but lacked market conditions," said Kaysie Brown, Deputy Director of Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics at E3G, an European research and advocacy organization. "Now I think we are at a turning point - in areas such as renewable energy, market conditions are now available. Therefore, the question is, where will political leadership come from in this changing situation?"

The New York Times pointed out that China has always tried to shape itself as a pillar of global stability, especially after the Trump administration announced the U.S. withdrawal from annual climate negotiations.

The Wall Street Journal reported on July 7th that, as governments gathered in Belém for COP30, the U.S. made its first absence in 30 years, while China was unprecedentedly at the center of the negotiations.

The U.S. media frankly admitted that although developing countries are disappointed with the Western regression on climate goals, China's transition to clean energy is helping maintain the integrity of the Paris Agreement. This article even directly titled it "China is Saving the Paris Agreement."

When the agreement was signed in 2015, few expected that Chinese clean technology manufacturers could reach such an impressive scale so quickly, especially in areas like solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, which were not mainstream at the time.

Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, a French oil and gas producer, said, "Over the past decade, China has become a giant in the clean technology sector." The company is one of the world's largest investors in renewable energy.

"We did not really anticipate this in 2015, but the speed of China's development is amazing," he added, "It's too late to cry about it, but in a way, it's also good for the Earth."

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571288027922727475/

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