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Home » Opinion » Chinese Views
Coke and McDonald's aren't modernization
By Yan Zhen |
November 30, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EDITOR'S note: Shanghai Daily reporter Yan Zhen had an exclusive interview with Surendra Shrestha, a director of the United Nations Environment Program, in Shanghai last week, on the global fight against greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some excerpts.
Q: Why are many countries slow to act against greenhouse gas emission that have been proved the culprit in global warming?
A: There are some countries, like China, (the Republic of) Korea and Japan that have shown low-carbon economy also means job opportunities, new technologies. But for some bigger industries, it's difficult for them to change and they don't want to change.
If you and I act today, the benefit is global and it could be seen in 100 or 200 years from now. It's difficult for people to conceive why I should do it and why not him?
But in fact, that's the same with what we do in our home. Two kids are fighting, but parents would say, hey, what you are fighting for? Sometimes people just forget that we should go to the global level.
Q: The United Nations will hold a Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month. What's your expectation?
A: We may not achieve a legal framework, but there must be an agreement that we have to change our lifestyle into a low-carbon format.
Q: Is there a way to curb global warming at the moment?
A: Yes. If you look at the total climate change-inducing greenhouse gases, CO2 is half the story. It could be different issues if we look at the other half of the greenhouse gases. For example, we have been successful in reducing ozone, through the Montreal Protocol.
There are other gases that contribute to climate change, for example black carbon, which comes from the transport sector, especially the diesel side, and rural households.
That part is up to 30 percent of CO2 standard.
But globally, we haven't focused on that side yet.
If we focus on non-CO2, we can get immediate benefits and up to 50 percent of the CO2 equivalent. That is something that can happen tomorrow.
Leaders should focus on that, which is quicker and cheaper.
In CO2 reduction, lots of technologies have to be developed, but in non-CO2, the technologies already exist. We need political work, technology and money.
Q: How do you judge China's CO2 reduction efforts?
A: China's plan is more than most countries have done or what they are planning to do.
There are a few countries that are doing more, but China is such a big economy and is making change in that big economy. It takes time.
Can it do more? Yes. I think it can, but it's already ahead of many countries.
China doesn't need to follow the development path of other countries - build industries, pollute the atmosphere, land, harm the people, get rich and then try to clean it. You don't need Coke and McDonald's to show you are developed, you don't need to copy that format.
Q: Why are many countries slow to act against greenhouse gas emission that have been proved the culprit in global warming?
A: There are some countries, like China, (the Republic of) Korea and Japan that have shown low-carbon economy also means job opportunities, new technologies. But for some bigger industries, it's difficult for them to change and they don't want to change.
If you and I act today, the benefit is global and it could be seen in 100 or 200 years from now. It's difficult for people to conceive why I should do it and why not him?
But in fact, that's the same with what we do in our home. Two kids are fighting, but parents would say, hey, what you are fighting for? Sometimes people just forget that we should go to the global level.
Q: The United Nations will hold a Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month. What's your expectation?
A: We may not achieve a legal framework, but there must be an agreement that we have to change our lifestyle into a low-carbon format.
Q: Is there a way to curb global warming at the moment?
A: Yes. If you look at the total climate change-inducing greenhouse gases, CO2 is half the story. It could be different issues if we look at the other half of the greenhouse gases. For example, we have been successful in reducing ozone, through the Montreal Protocol.
There are other gases that contribute to climate change, for example black carbon, which comes from the transport sector, especially the diesel side, and rural households.
That part is up to 30 percent of CO2 standard.
But globally, we haven't focused on that side yet.
If we focus on non-CO2, we can get immediate benefits and up to 50 percent of the CO2 equivalent. That is something that can happen tomorrow.
Leaders should focus on that, which is quicker and cheaper.
In CO2 reduction, lots of technologies have to be developed, but in non-CO2, the technologies already exist. We need political work, technology and money.
Q: How do you judge China's CO2 reduction efforts?
A: China's plan is more than most countries have done or what they are planning to do.
There are a few countries that are doing more, but China is such a big economy and is making change in that big economy. It takes time.
Can it do more? Yes. I think it can, but it's already ahead of many countries.
China doesn't need to follow the development path of other countries - build industries, pollute the atmosphere, land, harm the people, get rich and then try to clean it. You don't need Coke and McDonald's to show you are developed, you don't need to copy that format.
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