Podcast Summary: How China Tackles Climate Change in its Wider Development Agenda

Podcast: LSE: Public lectures and events
Date: December 2, 2009
Speaker: Her Excellency Madam Fu Ying, Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Host: Professor Stuart Corbridge (LSE)
Main Theme:
A timely, comprehensive overview of how China incorporates climate change action into its broader development strategy, especially on the eve of the Copenhagen Climate Conference.

Overview

This episode features Ambassador Fu Ying discussing China’s evolving approach to climate change, highlighting the challenges and progress made within the context of China’s rapid economic development and poverty reduction. Delivered against the backdrop of mounting international attention on China’s environmental footprint, the lecture explores the country’s policy evolution, technological investments, and the complex interplay of economic growth and environmental sustainability. The talk also addresses the expectations for China’s role at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference and advocates for global cooperation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. China’s Development and Environmental Challenge [04:19 - 08:05]

• Rapid Modernization: China has undergone the equivalent of two centuries of industrialization in just 30 years, greatly lifting millions out of poverty.

• Environmental Cost: This accelerated development has come at a significant environmental price:

  • Average temperature in China has increased 1.1°C in five decades—above the global average.
  • Extreme weather and pollution: Major droughts, declining river levels, and 70% of rivers polluted to some degree.
  • China is now the world’s largest carbon emitter.

  "Unlike you here, we have condensed two centuries of industrialization into only 30 years. Now that the Chinese people have woken to the threat and with the same zeal, we have embraced industrialization, we are embracing cleaner development." (Fu Ying, 07:01)

  Memorable Moment:

  • Ambassador Fu Ying shares a personal story about her father’s wish to have his ashes scattered in his childhood river, only to find "the great river... is now no more than a creek." [06:08]

2. Actions and Policies for a Greener China [08:06 - 15:30]

• Legal and Policy Steps:

  • 2006-2010: Voluntary reduction program aiming for a 20% cut in energy intensity per unit of GDP.
  • Amendments to energy laws, establishment of a transparent evaluation system holding provincial leaders accountable. In 2008, 26 out of 31 provinces met targets.
  • Transparency and public pressure are key drivers.

• Industrial Reforms:

  • High-emission projects cannot proceed; inefficient factories being closed or phased out.
  • Example: Reduction in coal consumption by demolishing polluting plants, resulting in 400,000 job losses—a major social cost.

  "It is understandably very difficult to push through these reform measures. There is inevitably resistance because for a developing country, shutting down factories means job losses for many who need them." (Fu Ying, 10:19)

• Clean & Alternative Energy:

  • Clean energy represents one-third of new power capacity in the first nine months of 2009.
  • China ranks first in solar heating, photovoltaic generation, and hydropower capacity.
  • Solar panel adoption is widespread—"1 out of 10 families in China are already using solar heating." (Fu Ying, 13:21)

  Memorable Moment:

  • "My husband said the heating for our flat works pretty well." A lighthearted remark about her own family’s use of solar heating. [13:46]

• Reforestation & Tree Planting:

  • 2.6 billion trees planted; tree planting has become a popular tradition for couples.
  • "Maybe I should say that heaven forbid, if any of them get divorced... But these trees, whatever happens, they will remain standing, I can promise you." (Fu Ying, 14:52)

• Innovation and Technology Investment:

  • Research and development prioritized; 15% of a £400 billion stimulus package allocated for climate change.
  • "China has become a giant laboratory for the testing of all kinds of clean energy technologies." (Fu Ying, 15:21)

• Future Ambitions:

  • 2020 targets: Reduce CO2 per GDP unit by 40-45%, raise non-fossil energy to 15%, increase forests by 40 million hectares (~1.5x UK).

  "I hope you will appreciate that achieving this target and further reducing emissions will be increasingly harder in China." (Fu Ying, 17:08)

3. Challenges and Context: China as a Developing Nation [15:31 - 22:50]

• Development Still Ongoing:

  • Per capita GDP just over US$3,000 (2009), ranking 104th globally—same level as UK in 1913.
  • 135 million Chinese remain below $1/day poverty line.

  Memorable Moment:

  • Story of Gansu farmers bathing only three times in their life: "at birth, at marriage, and at death." [21:10]

• Human Development and Rights:

  • Provides a vivid context for the challenges: electricity and basic commodities are still luxuries in some rural areas.

  "Who are we to tell them that they have no right to a better life?... That's the human dimension, the challenge, the difficult mission for China is to enable its 1.3 billion people to realize their dreams, but in an environmentally responsible manner." (Fu Ying, 21:48)

• Per Capita Emissions and Fairness:

  • Per capita emissions: 4.6 tons (China), 10 tons (UK), 20 tons (USA).
  • Developed countries responsible for 80% of historical emissions; "It feels like a person who is always having four pieces of bread and telling the person who is having the first piece of bread to go on a diet." [22:33]

4. China’s Position and Hopes for Copenhagen [23:03 - 25:35]

• Principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibilities”:

  • Emphasizes fairness and equal rights to development.

• Expectations for Copenhagen:

  • Developed nations to commit to significant emissions reductions and support, including finance and technology transfer.
  • Developing countries to act within their capacities and with support.
  • China’s Premier Wen Jiabao to attend, signaling a constructive approach.

• Necessity of Global Cooperation:

  • Climate change is framed as a shared challenge, beyond borders or economic status.

  "As a mother, I hope that my daughter and the later generations will breathe in clean air and will have good environment to live in. So countries should all work together as partners to make sure that our children will inherit a better world." (Fu Ying, 25:25)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Personal Connection:

  "The great river my father used to talk about is now no more than a creek." (Fu Ying, 06:37)

• On Industrial Sacrifices:

  "When it was demolished, my friends who worked there called and we all had very mixed feelings because we gave the best years of our young lives building the power plant. Now it's being demolished, but we all know it's inevitable." (Fu Ying, 11:29)

• On Global Fairness:

  "It feels like a person who is always having four pieces of bread and telling the person who is having the first piece of bread to go on a diet." (Fu Ying, 22:33)

• On Global Responsibility:

  "Climate change is a global challenge which can only be resolved through global cooperation." (Fu Ying, 25:06)

• On Future Hope:

  "So countries should all work together as partners to make sure that our children will inherit a better world." (Fu Ying, 25:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:19] – Start of Ambassador Fu Ying’s talk
• [06:08] – Personal river anecdote, illustrating environmental impact
• [08:06] – China’s climate change policy actions and targets
• [10:19] – Industrial restructuring, job losses
• [13:21] – Solar panel adoption and personal experience
• [14:52] – Reforestation and cultural change
• [15:31] – Emphasis on the technology and R&D
• [19:54] – China as a developing country, per capita GDP
• [21:10] – Human dimension: rural poverty and aspirations
• [22:33] – Global emissions, fairness, and "four pieces of bread" analogy
• [23:03] – Hopes and expectations for the Copenhagen summit
• [25:06] – Call for global partnership
• [25:30] – Closing hope for future generations

Tone & Language

Ambassador Fu Ying’s remarks are candid, sometimes personal, often pragmatic, and appeal to both reason and empathy. She addresses both the political realities and the human stories shaping China’s environmental policy, conveying determination as well as an appeal for global understanding.

Conclusion

Ambassador Fu Ying’s lecture presents China as a nation in transition: increasingly aware of its global climate responsibilities, yet still grappling with the challenges of development and poverty alleviation. The address stresses that China’s climate actions are substantial but coexist with pressing needs for growth, and argues for fairness and cooperation at the international scale. The episode is an insightful primer for anyone interested in the intricate relationship between economic growth, development policy, and global environmental action as approached from the Chinese perspective.