Interview: China Indispensable in Global Climate Governance, Says IPCC Chair

Hangzhou: China's participation in the global climate governance system is indispensable, said Jim Skea, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the recent IPCC's 62nd session in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the session, held from Feb. 24 to March 1, marked China's first time hosting an IPCC meeting. The meeting concluded with the finalization of outlines for three major reports under the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report Cycle (AR7). The AR7 cycle focuses on adapting to climate impacts, exploring synergies between climate action and sustainable development, and technologies such as carbon dioxide removal and carbon capture utilization and storage.

Skea commended China for its excellent hosting of the session, which brought together government representatives from over 130 countries, as well as relevant observer organizations and international bodies. He noted that the facilities and organization by Zhejiang Province and Hangzhou have been wonderful, adding that Chinese people have made excellent contributions to IPCC's work.

Chinese scientists have been involved with the IPCC for years, with hundreds contributing to the writing and reviewing of its assessment reports since the organization was established. Zhang Xiaoye, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, serves as co-chair of Working Group I (Physical Science Basis) for AR7, while Zhai Panmao was the co-chair in the previous cycle.

As an expert in climate change mitigation in the energy sector, Skea praised China's progress in renewable energy, highlighting the country's leading deployment of solar and wind energy worldwide. "China is a major contributor, and you can see the kind of changes the energy transition occurring here in China," he remarked.

Skea emphasized the significance of China's active role in international discussions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. "Chinese participation is actually indispensable. It's such a large part of the global system. Without that participation, I think global efforts would be much less effective," he stated.

Since its establishment in 1988, the IPCC has published 43 assessment reports on climate change over the past six cycles, forming the scientific backbone of global climate policies.