According to the expert, China invests in climate measures at home, but the views do not reach the international negotiating tables.
12:25•Updated 12:29
The experts who visited in the morning see that the keys to the success of the UN climate meeting are in China’s hands. The climate meeting starts today in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The EU’s goal for the meeting is to reach a wider group of financiers for climate finance, which will be distributed to developing countries’ climate actions.
Professor at the University of Eastern Finland and member of the Finnish climate panel Kati Kulovesi sees it as a challenge that although China invests in climate action at home, it is not reflected in the country’s positions at the international negotiation forum.
This may turn out to be a stumbling block for the EU to get through the climate finance reform it seeks.
– If China does not agree to it, then it will be difficult to reach an agreement, Kulovesi states.
In China, climate action and economic growth goals are at odds
In China, the people are worried about climate change, and emissions are seen and felt in people’s lives concretely as pollution and poor air quality.
Ylen Asia Correspondent Mika Hentunen however, the goals of the country’s economy and the desire to get rid of emissions are at odds.
Hentunen describes that economic growth is maintained almost hysterically, and this is evidenced, for example, by the return to coal power a few years ago.
– For the Chinese administration, economic growth is everything and they don’t want to jeopardize it in any way, Hentunen stated on ‘s morning broadcast.
However, at the same time, China is a pioneer in green transition investments.
The leading expert of the Finnish Confederation of Business Janne Peljon according to China, a huge energy revolution is underway even at the moment.
– In recent years, China has handled practically half of the global investments in the green transition, Peljo states.
The relations between the United States and China are significant in climate action
The strained relations between the United States and China raise concerns about climate action.
The new president-elect of the United States Donald Trump’s is expected to withdraw the country from the Paris climate accord, as he did in his previous term.
According to Peljo, significant things have been achieved in climate action whenever China and the United States have found common ground in them.
Peljo already has his sights set on next year’s UN climate meeting in Brazil, where the relations between countries in climate action will be weighed.
Peljo sees a threat if China and the United States do not reach an agreement in those negotiations that the countries should speed up their actions to reduce emissions.
– Then the window of time to combat climate change really starts to close, says Peljo.
Watch the entire interview in Areena: