Chile: World Conference on Climate Change and Renewable Energies Begins

 

Wang Yan | www.chinaview.cn

SANTIAGO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) — The World Conference on Climate Change and Renewable Energies on Tuesday opened at the Sheraton Hotel in Santiago.

The Conference, due to be concluded on Oct. 31, was organized by the Chilean government in collaboration with the World Bank, the Latin American Organization of Energy (OLADE) and the United Nations’ (UN) programs of Climate Change and Environment.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chilean Environment Minister Ana Lya Uriarte said Chile has played an active role in helping tackle the challenges of the climate change in recent years.

Uriarte hailed the effect of the Clean Development Mechanism, saying it has created “an opportunity for the developing countries, like ours, to contribute to the global environment.”

He also said Chile would compromise if necessary in the world’s collective search for solutions to the global warming. He also stressed the urgency to address the environment issue.

“(Chilean) President Michelle Bachelet has been particularly clear regarding this, before the international community, that climate change is the great ethical cause of the humanity this century, as well as Peace for the past century,” the minister said.

China: coal addiction makes climate change fight hard

AFP/yb

BEIJING: China warned Wednesday its heavy dependence on coal to fuel its fast-growing economy made it difficult to control greenhouse gas emissions, but said fighting global warming remained imperative.

Releasing a policy paper on climate change, the Chinese government acknowledged the deep impact global warming had already made on the world’s most populous nation – and warned of much worse to come.

“Extreme climate phenomena, such as high temperatures, heavy precipitation and severe droughts, have increased in frequency and intensity,” the so-called “White Paper” said.

If not alleviated, these phenomena will increase natural disasters, reduce grain yields and impact livestock raising, hampering the nation’s efforts to feed its 1.3 billion people, it said.

According to the paper, China experienced 21 warm winters from 1986 to 2007, the latter being the warmest 12 months since detailed records began being taken in 1951.

But coal, the cheapest and most plentiful source of fuel in China, will remain its major energy source.

“(The) coal-dominated energy mix cannot be substantially changed in the near future, thus making the control of greenhouse gas emissions rather difficult,” the paper said.

China is dependent on coal for about two thirds of its energy use, causing it to rise quickly in recent years to now rank alongside the United States as one of the world’s top two emitters of greenhouse gases.

Nevertheless, Vice Minister of Planning Xie Zhenhua said balancing environmental protection with economic development was a top priority for the Chinese government.

“China from its own perspective must realise sustainable development, we must save energy, raise energy efficiency, develop renewable energies and adopt measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gases,” Xie told reporters.

“This is so because of factors deciding China’s national conditions, we must do this because there is no other road for China except the road to sustainable development.”

Xie pointed to already released Chinese policies aimed at fighting global warming, such as binding targets to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 per cent from 2006 to 2010.

He said China was also “enthusiastically” expanding the use of alternative energies such as hydro, nuclear, wind and solar power.

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