by Martina Fuchs
GENEVA, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- China was committed to "walking the talk" in the global fight against climate change and protecting biodiversity ahead of the crucial COP15 and COP26 meetings, said World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly was very important, where Xi "so strongly, again, committed China to deliver on climate change but also on nature-based solutions," Brende told Xinhua on the sidelines of the WEF's fifth Sustainable Development Impact Summit on Sept. 20-23.
"The message that China is not supporting any new coal-fired power plants outside China was a very strong and important message now in the run up to COP26," he said.
WALKING THE TALK
As the first part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) will take place in the Chinese city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, in October, followed by the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, Brende said "it is crucial that all these meetings are successful and that there are real outcomes."
"We are not anymore focusing on why we have to act on climate change, why we have to stop the extinction of species, but on how," said Brende, a former minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, stressing the question of "how to make sure that we as humankind can stop the burning of our planet, (and) how we can save nature for future generations."
The United States and China are "the two most important countries in the world when it comes to sending strong messages and walking the talk," Brende said, referring to fields including "not only climate and ... nature and biodiversity, but also when it comes to trade and global value chains."
"What I do hope is that the Sino-U.S. relationship will improve," he said, adding that "when it comes to practical solutions on climate, I think we can learn also by China's contribution the last decade."
RACE TO ACHIEVE 17 SDGs
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday convened a high-level event to galvanize global action toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), calling for more efforts to bring them back on track.
Brende meanwhile highlighted the WEF's role as the international organization for public-private cooperation, which will be crucial to rebuilding trust and shaping a more sustainable future.
"We only have nine years to go until we have to reach all the 17 SDGs," he urged.
"We also have to be successful in mitigating CO2, making sure that our oceans are not filled with more plastic than fish. We also need to get growth back, growth that creates decent jobs and growth that also addresses the inequalities that we see on our planet. There is a big challenge ahead," he said.
WEF DAVOS MEETING 2022
The WEF announced last week that it plans to convene its annual meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on Jan. 17-21, 2022 under the theme "Working Together, Restoring Trust."
The global event bringing together the world's top business, government and civil society leaders in the Swiss mountain resort each year had been cancelled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It will be the first global leadership event offline to set the agenda for a sustainable recovery, the WEF said in a press release.
The meeting will focus on accelerating stakeholder capitalism, harnessing the technologies of the fourth industrial evolution and ensuring a more inclusive future of work, it said.
Brende emphasized the WEF's hope to further collaborate with China, saying "we have so many partnerships and so much cooperation with China now that this is a true inspiration."
He said he looks forward to reinitiating "this very important meeting because a lot of our CEOs would like to see what the Chinese strategy is for reviving a sustainable growth in the years to come," he said. Enditem
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