Britain, China seek joint effort on climate change
BEIJING, (AFP)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to China switches to
environmental issues Saturday, as he seeks to boost co-operation between
the two countries on tackling climate change, senior Downing Street
officials said.
Brown, whose focus Friday was on furthering business links with the
world's fastest-growing economy, is looking to secure backing for a new
global deal on fighting greenhouse gas emissions for when the Kyoto
Protocol expires in 2012.
How Britain can help China continue its rapid, but mainly
coal-fuelled growth more sustainably will feature heavily as he leaves
Beijing for the country's eastern financial hub of Shanghai.
"Climate change is a global challenge facing all regions of the world
-- and one in which there can be no solution without engagement from all
countries and collaboration between nations," officials travelling with
Brown said in a statement.
"It is an urgent, complex issue that demands a comprehensive global
and national response. China is as committed as Britain to achieving
this.
"Only by acting now and working together to cut global greenhouse gas
emissions can we leave the world a healthier and safer place for future
generations.
"Neither the UK nor China has any choice but to meet this challenge."
On a post-Kyoto accord, the London officials said both countries need
to intensify their efforts to secure a deal, although negotiations could
be fraught because of tensions between developed and developing nations
on binding targets.
Britain wants emissions cut targets for developed nations and greater
technological and financial support for developing countries in return
for stronger commitments from them to reduce greenhouse gases.
China -- on course to becoming the world's largest emitter of
greenhouse gases -- opposes signing up to internationally agreed
reductions and is instead pushing for more help from richer nations in
creating "green" energy.
On Friday the two sides penned agreements to increase collaboration
to reduce emissions growth and develop newer, cleaner technologies -- a
sign they realise economic opportunities are arising from the global
problem.
Brown also has a delegation of senior British business figures in
tow.
One deal on climate change will see China get at least 50 million
pounds (100 million dollars) from British government funds to back
investment in energy efficiency, renewables, clean coal and carbon
capture and storage.
Another on sustainable cities pledges Sino-British collaboration on
building the low-carbon cities of the future. Brown will see at first
hand efforts to construct the world's first sustainable city at Dongtan,
near Shanghai.
The project is a joint venture between the bank HSBC and British
design and engineering firm, Arup, which in part also designed Beijing's
Olympic stadium for this year's summer games.
Brown has outlined plans to build five new "eco-towns" on disused
industrial land to replenish Britain's depleted housing stock and
encourage low- and eventually zero-carbon communities.
Elsewhere, Britain has committed itself to becoming the world's first
country with legally binding targets for cutting carbon emissions,
aiming for 60 percent, possibly even 80 percent reductions on 1990
levels by 2050.
But critics say London's position is contradictory as it backs the
building of a new wave of nuclear power stations and expansion in the
aviation sector.
China -- criticised for its heavy pollution -- has seen support for
its aim of reducing the economy's energy intensity by 20 percent by 2010
and increasing use of renewable energy like wind and wave power by 15
percent by 2020. |