China Green Carbon Foundation

On November 30^th, the French Paris Georg Expo Center attracted global attention. The twenty-first session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), which has been invested great expectations of establishing mechanism for addressing global climate change after 2020 applicable to all parties, was held here. Over 100 national leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Obama, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony in the morning.

In the afternoon, a seminar on China's Forestry Industry’s Action to Address Climate Change approved by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat was jointly held by China Green Carbon Foundation (CGCF) and the Institute of Sustainable Development Research Centre, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Dr. Li Nuyun, Secretary-General of CGCF and Deputy Director of Climate Change Office, State Forestry Administration, P. R. China and Professor Wang Guangyu from the University of British Columbia (UBC), co-chaired the seminar. More than 100 experts from the US, South Africa, India, UK, Australia, South Korea, Italy, China and other countries attended the meeting. At the seminar, government leaders, scholars and charitarians from China and Canada discussed the system construction and measures of the Chinese forestry to address climate change, low carbon economic practice in small and medium cities, restoration of vegetative cover and community development in the context of climate change. Dr. Li Nuyun delivered a report on Forestry Policies and Actions against Climate Change in China. From the construction of ecological civilization, policies and actions, and public mobilization in forestry, she gave an overall introduction of China’s system design and specific measures in response to climate change, especially the encouragement and guidance of enterprises and individuals to participate in forestry to deal with climate change. She highlighted the innovative practice in developing the ecological service market through promoting the production, management and trading of forestry carbon sinks product.

Mr. Niu Gensheng, Initiator and Honorary Chairman of Laoniu Foundation and Vice President of China Charity Alliance made a speech on "Building the Ecological Barrier to Safeguard Our Common Homeland". He pointed out that the Laoniu Foundation, founded in 2004, was a private fund engaged in social charity. With the principle of helping others and being responsible to the society, the mission and main direction of promoting education, environmental protection and social welfare, it makes contribution to human health and life and equal development, so as to realize the goal of inheriting the past and safeguarding the future. To protect the environment and adapt to climate change, the fund has kept increasing the support on ecological projects in recent years. Till the end of 2014, the fund has invested nearly 280 million RMB Yuan on ecological management and protection projects, accounting for 40% of all its public spending, ranking the first in the field of its public service (ecological construction, culture and education, food security, disaster relief and other assistance). The "Inner Mongolia Shengle International Ecological Demonstration Zone" invested by the foundation was awarded the China Charity Award, the highest government award by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2013.

Prof. John Innes, Dean of Faculty of Forestry, UBC delivered a speech on low carbon economy in China. The report describes the key indicators of low carbon economy, and the positive driving role of indicators in regional economy and environmental protection. Taking an example of Fuding City and Zherong County in Fujian province, he showed the specific use of indicators. On this basis, he puts forward suggestions and measures that energy-saving technology be developed to use new energy and improve efficiency and economic structure be optimized to strengthen environmental protection and change the way of life to achieve the regional reduction of carbon emissions, while maintaining economic growth and improving people's living standards.

Experts and representatives spoke highly of China’s efforts and contributions to fight against global climate change, CGCF’s promotion of ecological benefit compensation mechanism with carbon sink being the voluntary transaction object, and Laoniu Foundation’s charity actions for the improvement of the ecological environment and climate change. They thought China governments and NGO’s experience in response to climate change is worthy being recommended to the international community.

"Green Conference and Carbon Neutral Platform” was jointly released by CGCF and Carbonstop, and it was suggested that participants achieve carbon neutral through registered carbon emission reduction credits in the CGCF Guangxi Pingle County forestation carbon sequestration project to eliminate the carbon emissions for participating the seminar.

Author: Reporter Wen Yali and Correspondent He Yeyu

Media: China Green Times. Publication date: December 3, 2015