White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate change.docx

White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate change.docx

《White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate change.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《White paper Chinas policies and actions on climate change.docx（21页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

WhitepaperChinaspoliciesandactionsonclimatechange

Whitepaper:

China'spoliciesandactionsonclimatechange

TheStateCouncilInformationOfficepublishedonWednesdayawhitepaperentitledChina'sPoliciesandActionsforAddressingClimateChange.Thedocument,composedofeightchapters,describesthatChinaactivelyparticipatesinworldwideeffortstoaddressclimatechange,earnestlyobservestheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventiononClimateChangeandtheKyotoProtocol,andplaysaconstructiveroleininternationalcooperationinthisregard.Thefulltextofthewhitepaperfollows:

China'sPoliciesandActionsforAddressingClimateChange

Foreword

I.ClimateChangeandChina'sSituation

II.ImpactofClimateChangeonChina

III.StrategiesandObjectivesforAddressingClimateChange

IV.PoliciesandActionstoDecelerateClimateChange

V.PoliciesandActionstoAdapttoClimateChange

VI.EnhancingPublicAwarenessinAddressingClimateChange

VII.EnhancingInternationalCooperationonClimateChange

VIII.InstitutionandMechanismBuildingforCopingwithClimateChangeConclusion

Foreword

Globalclimatechangeanditsadverseeffectsareacommonconcernofmankind.Eversincetheindustrialrevolution,humanactivities,especiallythemassiveconsumptionofenergyandresourcesbydevelopedcountriesintheprocessofindustrialization,haveincreasedtheatmosphericconcentrationsofgreenhousegases,producedconspicuousimpactsonthenaturalecosystemsoftheEarth,andposedseverechallengestothesurvivalanddevelopmentofhumansociety.

Asadevelopingcountrywithalargepopulation,arelativelylowlevelofeconomicdevelopment,acomplexclimateandafragileeco-environment,Chinaisvulnerabletotheadverseeffectsofclimatechange,whichhasbroughtsubstantialthreatstothenaturalecosystemsaswellastheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofthecountry.Thesethreatsareparticularlypressinginthefieldsofagricultureandlive-stockbreeding,forestry,naturalecosystemsandwaterresources,andincoastalandeco-fragilezones.Therefore,China'sprioritytaskatpresentistoadaptitselftoclimatechange.Themultiplepressuresofdevelopingtheeconomy,eliminatingpovertyandmitigatingtheemissionsofgreenhousegasesconstitutedifficultiesforChinainitseffortstocopewithclimatechange,sincethecountryisundergoingrapideconomicdevelopment.

Aresponsibledevelopingcountry,Chinasetsgreatstorebyclimatechangeissues.Fullyawareoftheimportanceandurgencyofaddressingclimatechange,followingtherequirementsoftheScientificOut-lookonDevelopment,andtakingintooverallconsiderationofbotheconomicdevelopmentandecologicalconstruction,domesticsituationandinternationalsituation,andpresentandfuture,Chinahasformulatedandimplementedanationalplanforcopingwithclimatechange,andadoptedaseriesofpoliciesandmeasuresinthisregard.Chinacombinesthehandlingofclimatechangewithitsexecutionofitssustainabledevelopmentstrategy,accelerationofbuildingare-source-conservingandenvironmental-friendlysocietyandconstructionofacountryofinnovation.Takingeconomicdevelopmentasthecoreobjective,andplacingemphasisonenergyconservation,optimizationoftheenergymix,reinforcementofecologicalprotectionandconstruction,andscientificandtechnologicalprogressasbackup,Chinastrivestocontrolandmitigatetheemissionofgreenhousegasesandcontinuouslyenhancethecapabilityofadaptingitselftoclimatechange.

Chinaactivelyparticipatesinworldwideeffortstoaddressclimatechange,earnestlyobservestheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventiononClimateChange（hereinafterreferredtoastheUNFCCC）andtheKyotoProtocol,andplaysaconstructiveroleininternationalcooperationinthisregard.

I.ClimateChangeandChina'sSituation

ThelatestscientificresearchfindingsshowthattheaveragetemperatureoftheEarth'ssurfacehasincreasedby0.74degreeCelsiusoverthepastcentury,from1906to2005,andisexpectedtofurtherriseby1.1to6.4degreesCelsiusbytheendofthe21stcentury.Theriseofglobalaveragetemperaturessincethemid-20thcenturyismainlycausedbytheincreasingatmosphericconcentrationsofgreenhousegases,chieflyconsistingofcarbondioxide,methaneandnitrousoxide,emittedasaresultofhumanactivities,suchastheburningoffossilfuelsandchangesoflanduse.

China'stemperaturerisehasbasicallykeptpacewithglobalwarming.ThelatestinformationreleasedbytheChinaMeteorologicalAdministrationshowsthattheaveragetemperatureoftheEarth'ssurfaceinChinahasrisenby1.1degreesCelsiusoverthepastcentury,from1908to2007,andthatChinaexperienced21warmwintersfrom1986to2007,thelatterbeingthewarmestyearsincethebeginningofsystematicmeteorologicalobservationsin1951.Thenationaldistributionofprecipitationinthepasthalfcenturyhasundergonemarkedchanges,withincreasesinwesternandsouthernChinaanddecreasesinmostpartsofnorthernandnortheasternChina.Extremeclimatephenomena,suchashightemperatures,heavyprecipitationandseveredroughts,haveincreasedinfrequencyandintensity.Thenumberofheatwavesinsummerhasgrown,anddroughtshavegrownworseinsomeareas,especiallynorthernChina;heavyprecipitationhasincreasedinsouthernChina;andtheoccurrenceofsnowdisastershasriseninwesternChina.InChina'scoastalzones,theseasurfacetemperatureandsealevelhaverisenby0.9degreeCelsiusand90mm,respectively,overthepast30years.

ScientificresearchpredictsthatclimatewarmingtrendinChinawillfurtherintensify;frequencyofextremeclimateeventsislikelytowax;unevendistributionofprecipitationwillbemorevisiblethanbeforeandtheoccurrenceofheavyprecipitationwillincrease;droughtwillexpandinscope;andthesealevelwillrisefasterthanever.

ThebasicconditionsofChinapresentthecountrywithgreatchallengesinaddressingissuesregardingclimatechange.

—Acomplexclimateandafragileeco-environmentdeterminethatChina'staskofadaptingitselftoclimatechangeisarduous.Chinaischaracterizedbyacontinentalmonsoonclimate,andmostpartsofChinahaveawiderrangeofseasonaltemperaturechangecomparedwithothercontinentalareasatthesamelatitude.ManyplacesinChinaarecoldinwinterandhotinsummer,andhightemperaturesgenerallyprevailinthecountryatlargeinsummer.Precipitationisunevenlydistributedintimeandspace,concentratinginthefloodseason,andannualprecipitationdecreasesfromthesoutheastcoasttothenorthwestinterior.Chinahasafragileeco-environment,withserioussoilerosionanddesertificationandaforestcoveragerateof18.21percent,only62percentoftheworld'saverage.Theareaofnaturalwetlandsiscomparativelysmall;mostgrasslandsarehighlyfrigidmeadowsanddesertsteppes;temperategrasslandsinnorthernChinaareindangerofde-generationanddesertificationduetotheimpactsofdroughtanddeteriorationoftheeco-environment.Withacoastlineover18,000kmlong,Chinaisvulnerabletotheadverseeffectsofsealevelrises.

—AlargepopulationandarelativelylowlevelofeconomydeterminethatChina'sdevelopmenttaskisaformidableone.ThepopulationofthemainlandofChinareached1.321billionattheendof2007,ac-countingfor20percentoftheworld'stotal.Chinahasacomparativelylowlevelofurbanization,withanurbanizationrateof44.9percentin2007,lowerthantheworld'saverage.Thelargepopulationalsobringshugeemploymentpressure.Newurbanlaborforceentrantsof10mil-lionandaboveneedjobseveryyear;astheurbanizationprocessmovesforward,tensofmillionsofrurallaborerstransfertotheurbanareaseveryyear.StatisticsfromtheInternationalMonetaryFundshowthattheper-capitaGDP（grossdomesticproduct）ofChinain2007wasUS$2,461,ranking106th,alow-to-middleplace,among181countriesandregions.Chinaischaracterizedbyunbalancedregionaleconomicdevelopmentandisstillnaggedbyalargeincomegapbetweenurbanandruralresidents.Thecountryisstilltroubledbypoverty,withanimpoverishedruralpopulationof14.79millioninadequatelyfedandclad.Thosewhojusthaveenoughtoeatandwearandearnanunstable,lowincomenumber30millionnationwide.Moreover,Chinahasarelativelylowlevelofscienceandtechnologyandweakcapacityofindependentinnovation.Developingtheeconomyandimprovingpeople'slivesareimperativetaskscurrentlyfacingChina.

—China'songoingindustrializationprocessanditscoal-dominatedenergymixdeterminethatitstaskofcontrollinggreenhousegasemissionsisatoughone.Historically,China'sgreenhousegasemissionshavebeenverylow.Accordingtodatafromrelevantinternationalre-searchinstitutions,from1904to2004,carbondioxideemissionsfromfossilfuelburninginChinamadeuponly8percentoftheworld'stotaloverthesameperiod,andcumulativeemissionspercapitaranked92ndintheworld.China'scarbondioxideemissionsfromenergyconsumptionin2004totaled5.07billiontons.Asadevelopingcountry,Chinastillhasalongwaytogoinitsindustrialization,urbanizationandmodernization.Toadvancefurthertowarditsdevelopmentobjectives,Chinawillstriveforrationalgrowthofenergydemand,whichisthebasicpreconditionfortheprogressofalldevelopingcountries.However,itscoal-dominatedenergymixcannotbesubstantiallychangedinthenearfuture,thusmakingthecontrolofgreenhousegasemissionsratherdifficult.

II.ImpactofClimateChangeonChina

Chinaisoneofthecountriesmostsusceptibletotheadverseeffectsofclimate