The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) was held in Katowice, Poland, where over 20,000 representatives from 200 countries have participated to discuss the key issues of global climate change combat. Tonny Xie, director of BCAA, was invited as a guest to the COP24 High-level Forum on South-South Cooperation on Climate Change and China Business Climate Action Forum. On December 13th ,Bluetech Clean Air Alliance (BCAA) and China Champions for Climate Action (C Team) jointly launched the C Square Initiative.
On December 12th, the High-level Forum on South-South Cooperation on Climate, Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative on Climate Change Affairs of the Chinese Government, said that “Recent years, China has implemented a national strategy to actively combat climate change, promoting and guiding the establishment of a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system, showing the image of a responsible power and promoting the construction of a community of shared future”. The forum was hosted by Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, in cooperation with Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development of Tsinghua University, UNFCCC, UNDP, and WWF. Achim Steiner, Director of the United Nations Development Programme, Jorge Chediek, Secretary-General’s Envoy for South-South Cooperation, and Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and other guests also attended the forum. As a guest, Tonny Xie shared the huge progress that China achieved in the past five years’ blue sky defense in the forum and provided advises about how to promote co-benefits of blue sky defense and curbing climate change in South-South cooperation. On December 13, BCAA has also participated in the China Business Climate Action Forum, which was hosted by China Business Climate Action. Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative on Climate Change Affairs of the Chinese Government; AI Gore, Former U. S. Vice President, the recipient of Nobel Peace Prize; Wang Shi, founder of Vanke, chairman of Vanke Foundation, founder of C-Team; Ai Luming, president of Alashan SEE and other guests attended the event. Representatives of enterprises and industry associations were also invited to this forum to share the innovative cases of sustainable development model, scientific research and the views of enterprises.
December 13th, the C Square Initiative was launched at a side event of COP24 to address the significant co-benefits of clean air actions on curbing climate change in China. As the top priority of environment protection, China’s air pollution prevention and control appear unprecedented development. In the past five years, the concentration of particulate matter in China decreased by over 22% on average. In particular areas, such as Jing-Jin-Ji region, the concentration of PM2.5 has dropped nearly 40%. With the improvement of air quality, significant co-benefits on curbing climate change has also appeared. China’s carbon emission levels remains steady since 2013, the year China declared war against pollution.
“A primary evaluation shows that China has applied several measures on air quality improvement in Jing-Jin-Ji region, fully implementation of these measures could reduce approx. 350 million ton GHG per year. To achieve the clean air goals, 14 Provinces/Cities have set up coal consumption cap and all have achieved or outperformed the targets. It is estimated a GHGs reduction of 600 million ton/a can be achieved if only 9 of these 14 provinces/Cities have met their coal cap goals. ” Tonny Xie, Director of Bluetech Clean Air Alliance introduced in the C Square Initiative Launching session. Currently, China is making effort on restoring blue skies with a comprehensive management mechanism, includes target setup, action plan, supervision and monitoring, assessment and enforcement, and public participation. Therefore, to integrate climate change goal into air pollution control woks, using a mature implementation mechanism, it is more effective. “C Square is to emphasizes the co-benefits of clean air and climate change.”Mr. Xie explains, “C Square Initiative will combine with China's cities air quality improving demands, select most co-beneficial technology fields, to corporate with Provinces and Cities, to recruit, assess and demonstrate innovative clean air technologies within the field. Therefore, find the best technology solutions to solve different yet difficult local problems. Furthermore, the Initiative is also planning to provide technical support on relevant policy making and implementation, so that the demonstration project provided technology is able to be promoted and applied in a broader area in achieving climate change and environmental benefits.”
The first stage of C Square Initiative will focus on China Northern countryside’ clean energy heating issue. As one of the C Square Initiative supporters, C Team has already works on the Yan’an’s clean energy for three years. In the 4th Bluetech International Clean Air Conference which was held in December 2018, C Team and BCAA has launched the technology collection of Yan'an clean heating technology pilot project and has already received several applications from different countries.
In 5 years, C Square Initiative will select the 3 to 5 technology fields with significant co-beneficial effects, develop 10 pilot projects for innovative technology promotion and application. Ultimately it is expected to achieve 100,000 ton air pollutant and GHGs reduction. In the meantime, C Square Initiative is also hoping to help 30 innovative clean air technology enterprises’ establishment and development via demonstration projects, shaping a cleaner future with the power of business. C Square Initiative will focus on quantify the demonstration programs’ environmental benefits, referring to the international carbon emission monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) principles, developing the monitoring and quantitative assessment scheme of program environmental benefits (air pollution reduction and greenhouse gas reduction) for each pilot programs, to achieve the quantitative assessment of environmental benefits target and collect the dual environmental benefits of all the programs.
Promote international cooperation is also a part of the C Square Initiative. At the ceremony, potential international partners and members of non-governmental organizations from Poland, India and other countries have also expressed their interest in the Initiative and vision for the future. “Air pollution has received widespread public attention in India, promoting co-beneficial effect on climate change though air pollution has great opportunity in India. ” said Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer of India's Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). “In the top 50 European cities which has worst air pollution, 33 is located in Poland. ” Dr. Jakub Jedrak from Polish Smog Alert introduce, “Poland needs activities like C Square Initiative, we would like to join the C Square Initiative to promote more climate change and environmental benefits achievement in Poland. ”
