HONG KONG, Feb 5, 2021 – Co-organized by China Daily, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University and Asia News Network, the “Belt and Road Media Seminar” on “Climate Changes: Challenges for Asian Nations” was held virtually on Friday, Feb 5, 2021. Researchers and journalists joined online.
The threats of climate change have no boundaries and require multiple countries and policies to face up to the web of problems it creates. Without proper adaptation and mitigation policies, Asian societies and economies will be increasingly vulnerable to climate risks.
Mr. Zhou Shuchun, Standing Committee Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, delivered the welcoming remarks. “Planet Earth is our only home and addressing climate change has a direct bearing on the future of humanity. The future of global climate governance is drawing greater attention and no country can avoid the crisis. There must be global action, global response and global cooperation,” he said. He also highlighted that the efforts of Asia News Network members have fostered favourable public opinion in the international community, which further facilitates Asian nations in their joint endeavour to tackle the global challenge.
Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira, Vice-Chair, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shared her insights on the topic “Asian Awareness of Climate Change: More to be Done”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. She said that since preindustrial times, human activities have caused approximately 1°C of global warming and at the current rate, 1.5°C of global warming would be reached between 2030 and 2052. However, she stressed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is not impossible, but the political and societal will to accelerate transitions is the key.
Dr. Gao Xiang, Professor and Division Director of International Policy Research, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, spoke on the topic “China’s Climate Change Priorities and Impacts on the Rest of Asia”. The National Center for Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation is an institution directly under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Gao highlighted that carbon peaking and neutrality is one of the eight key areas for 2021 set by the Economic Work Conference of China. He stressed that China is actively participating in global climate governance, is a staunch supporter of multilateralism and is willing to help other developing countries enhance their capacity to cope with climate change.
Insight Spotlight was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Pana Janviroj, Executive Director, Asia News Network; and Dr. DJ Clark, Multimedia Director, China Daily Asia Pacific. Researchers and journalists participated in the panel discussion. They are: Ms. Zofeen Ebrahim, Pakistan Editor, The Third Pole; Ms. Krixia Subingsubing, Reporter, Philippine Daily Inquirer;Mr. Jonathan Lynn, Head of Communications and Media Relations, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Ms. Jessica Cheam, Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business; and Mr. Hou Liqiang, Reporter, China Daily. Together with Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira, Vice-Chair, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Dr. Gao Xiang, Professor and Division Director of International Policy Research, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, speakers examined how the media can better play a leading role in communicating the threats of climate change to the stakeholders.
Joy Jacqueline Pereira said, “with respect to solutions for rising sea level, what we have seen in the Southeast Asian region is that Singapore has taken a lot of action in terms of adapting to sea level rise…they have very limited land so they have to take a very strong infrastructure type of protection. In contrast, Indonesia has a great mix of both the natural land-based solutions and also infrastructure. So there are good examples that come from the region that can be emulated. Of course, we can also learn from East Asia, the way that China is handling it as a way forward.”
Gao Xiang said we should enhance international cooperation, including through multilateral governance frameworks, to address the issue and provide support to developing countries. “I think for those developing countries, we can enhance cooperation on climate change. Especially with the concept of green recovery, we need to enhance this kind of mechanism and cooperation to implement this concept into practice,” he said.
Zofeen Ebrahim said one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan is facing is that it is completely unprepared. “We don’t even have a plan for how to decarbonize ourselves when the world around us is continuously and rapidly doing that,” she added.
Krixia Subingsubing said most of the people in the Philippines accept and are aware of the connection between climate change and the extreme weather events that we experience because they actually feel it get worse every day. “Our fatalities rise with every new disaster that is coming to our country. Typhoon is a very intricate part of Filipinos’ lives, but the problem is how to get them involved in the topic, even if it is not a typhoon season or even if the climate crisis is not a seasonal topic. Our paradigm right now is that climate change is really a communications battle, not just to combat climate change deniers, but also about how to get people who are indifferent to the topic to be interested in the science behind climate change,” she said.
Jonathan Lynn said it’s best to have some kind of positive story related to climate change in the sense that you show how people are coming to a solution. “I think it’s very important to look for those positive examples, which can then be referred back to. This actually then addresses another problem in writing about climate change, which is that it is a very complicated and abstract subject…to come to grips with that can be quite hard for non-specialists. I think linking the story to people and showing a positive solution or outcome are very important,” he said.
Jessica Cheam said that the role of government is crucial in coping with climate change. “The world has made tremendous progress in tackling climate change. The US’ rejoining the Paris Agreement is very timely. The Singapore government has made a net-zero pledge, though with no time frame yet. We have seen that Japan, South Korea, and China are making these very important pledges. I think that the road to net-zero is fraught with many challenges. Multilateralism and trust are needed to deal with the challenges,” she said.
Hou Liqiang said a marked trend he has noticed in China’s climate progress is that the Chinese government is attaching greater and greater importance to turn to international cooperation for wisdom to tackle climate change.
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About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable
The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia, providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to Asia’s economic, business and social development. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia.
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中国日报线上论坛探讨媒体在减缓气候变化中的角色
中国日报香港 2 月 5 日电：中国日报今日携手上海外国语大学、 对外经济贸易大学以及亚洲新闻联盟在线合办主题为“气候变化： 亚洲各国共同面临的挑战”的媒体研修班专题研讨会。
全国政协常委、中国日报社社长兼总编辑周树春致欢迎辞，联 合国政府间气候变化专门委员会第二工作组副主席乔伊•杰奎琳•佩 雷拉（Joy Jacqueline Pereira）博士，中国国家应对气候变化战 略研究和国际合作中心国际政策研究部主任高翔博士做主旨发言。
活动由亚洲新闻联盟秘书长帕纳•简沃热（Pana Janviroj）和 《中国日报》亚太视频总监大卫•克拉克（David James Clark）主 持。 周树春总编辑在致辞中说，地球是我们唯一的家园，在气候变 化面前，人类命运与共。全球气候治理正受到越来越多的关注，没 有任何国家能避免这场危机，全球性的行动、应对和合作势在必行。 作为亚洲新闻联盟的一员，《中国日报》致力于引导国际社会的正 面舆论，进一步促进亚洲各国共同应对这场全球挑战。《中国日报》 希望进一步加强与亚洲新闻联盟成员和其他媒体的沟通与合作，并 携手为应对气候变化等全球挑战做出更大的贡献。
联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会第二工作组副主席乔伊博士 认为人类活动已经对大气环境造成了影响，大气中大部分废气排放 来自能源产业和农业部门，其次还有工业，运输和建筑业。以目前 的速度，全球气温在短期内升幅将达 1.5 摄氏度。因此，人类采取 行动的速度越快，未来需要为此付出的成本就越低。关于应对海平 面上升的解决方案，新加坡已经采取了很多行动，在土地有限的情 况下，必须多采取基建方面的保护措施。同时，中国在这方面的应 对方案也值得学习。
中国国家应对气候变化战略研究和国际合作中心国际政策研究 部主任高翔博士说：“我们实施了一系列政策和措施，例如，由于 能源行业是中国最大的排放源，我们非常关注可再生能源的发展， 并实施了能效技术的变革。”高翔指出，为了落实《巴黎协议》中 提出的国家自主贡献，中国从减缓，适应和能力建设三方面为应对 气候变化作出了努力。他表示，人们需要多边主义，需要每个国家， 每一方尽自己的一份力量。中国对减缓和适应气候变化两方面都同 样重视，在减缓气候变化方面付出的努力将为整个世界做出贡献。
活动还邀请 Eco-Business 创办人兼总编辑詹思滢（Jessica Cheam）、第三极网站巴基斯坦地区编辑佐费恩•易卜拉欣（Zofeen Ebrahim）、《中国日报》记者侯黎强、联合国政府间气候变化专 门委员会传讯及传媒事务主管乔纳森·林恩（Jonathan Lynn）、 以及《菲律宾每日询问者报》记者克里夏•苏宾伯与主旨嘉宾一起 参与讨论，共同探讨传媒如何发挥传播之力，唤醒民众正视气候变 化的问题。
活动还邀请 Eco-Business 创办人兼总编辑詹思滢（Jessica Cheam）、第三极网站巴基斯坦地区编辑佐费恩•易卜拉欣（Zofeen Ebrahim）、《中国日报》记者侯黎强、联合国政府间气候变化专 门委员会传讯及传媒事务主管乔纳森·林恩（Jonathan Lynn）、 以及《菲律宾每日询问者报》记者克里夏•苏宾伯与主旨嘉宾一起 参与讨论，共同探讨传媒如何发挥传播之力，唤醒民众正视气候变 化的问题。
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关于中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛（www.cdroundtable.com）,创建于 2010 年，旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社 会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台，围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产 业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解，以 增进中国与亚洲国家和西方国家的交流和理解。迄今，在港澳和亚 太多个国家和地区举办了 90 届，逾 4 万名决策精英参加。
