China will continue to advance ecological conservation and take concrete action on climate change while working with other countries to strengthen global climate governance, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said at a COP31 side event.
Officially known as the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN gathering kicked off on Monday and will run through Nov 20.
Speaking at the China Pavilion event themed "ecological civilization and the practice of building a beautiful China", Huang said ecological civilization represents a historical trend and a new requirement for harmony between humanity and nature.
The minister listed a series of achievements China has made in promoting the construction of ecological civilization.
The country has completed ultra-low-emission upgrades for coal-fired power units totaling 1.17 billion kilowatts and crude steel production capacity totaling 1 billion metric tons, Huang said. Installed wind and solar capacity has exceeded 2 billion kW, which is roughly half of the global total, while photovoltaic power has surpassed coal-fired power to become the country's largest source of installed generating capacity.
Over the past five years, the average concentration of PM2.5 particulate matter fell by 20 percent and days with heavy air pollution declined by 25 percent, he said. The proportion of national surface-water sections with fairly good-quality water reached 91.4 percent.
China has a five-tier surface water quality system, with Grade I being the highest. Water rated Grade III or above is considered of fairly good quality and is suitable for the survival of most aquatic organisms.
Huang said China's forest coverage rate has reached 25.09 percent and forest stock has exceeded 20 billion cubic meters. Ninety percent of its terrestrial ecosystem types and 74 percent of populations of key nationally protected wildlife species are under effective protection.
The next five years will be crucial for building a Beautiful China and achieving carbon peaking, Huang said. China will coordinate carbon reduction, pollution control, ecological conservation and economic growth.
The country aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and realize carbon neutrality before 2060.
China will remain committed to concrete climate action, uphold multilateralism and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and fully and effectively implement the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, he said.
China stands ready to deepen cooperation with all parties, promote practical outcomes at COP31 and help build a more equitable, reasonable and mutually beneficial global climate governance system, Huang added.
