Climate risk to South China is real

In my work as the British consul-general in Guangzhou, I am involved with a broad range of issues. But none is more important, in terms of the potential impact on our way of life and prosperity, than climate change. This is certainly the greatest existential challenge that the United Kingdom shares with China, especially the southern region of China.

The impacts can seem distant. But the need to act is real, urgent and relevant - particularly for us in the Pearl River Delta region.

China has set itself an ambitious target to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, with a peak date of 2030. The governments of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region are all working on their agenda for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) to accelerate China's low-carbon development.