The Chinese embassy in the UK responded to the remarks of British officials: the UK bears historical responsibility for emitting greenhouse gases

On December 6, local time, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the UK answered a reporter's question on the UK's erroneous remarks about China during COP28.

A reporter asked: Recently, during the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), British officials talked about the UK's greenhouse gas emissions, claiming that China is a major emitter and that its emissions have increased significantly since 1990. Do you have any comment?

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the UK said that the British official's comments were one-sided, inconsistent with the facts, lacked science, and did not show a positive attitude towards climate change.

A spokesman for the embassy said that global warming is the result of cumulative emissions of greenhouse gases. In the process of industrialization over the past 200 years, developed countries have been emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and they have an unshirkable historical responsibility for global climate change. Britain also bears a historical responsibility for this.

The embassy spokesperson said that China has always kept its promises and made important contributions to global climate governance. China is vigorously promoting green development. In 2022, CO2 emissions intensity decreased by more than 51% compared to 2005. The production and sales of new energy vehicles rank first in the world, accounting for more than half of the world's ownership. The proportion of non-fossil energy installed capacity has increased to 50.9%, the construction of new coal-fired power plants abroad has been completely stopped, and 50% of the world's wind power and 80% of photovoltaic equipment have been supplied. China has actively promoted international cooperation on climate change, and has allocated more than 1.2 billion yuan of special funds for South-South cooperation on climate change to support developing countries in enhancing their capacity to cope with climate change.

A spokesman for the embassy said that China has announced its carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. From carbon peak to carbon neutrality, developed countries will generally take 40-70 years, while China has set a time limit of only 30 years. This fully demonstrates China's responsibility and latest contribution to climate change, and demonstrates its climate ambition and global leadership in line with its development stage and national conditions.

The spokesperson of the embassy said that tackling climate change is the common cause of all mankind. All parties should adhere to the principles of fairness, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and fully and effectively implement the goals of the Paris Agreement. Developed countries should and must take the lead in reducing emissions significantly, and greatly increase the provision of financial, technological and capacity-building support to developing countries. In this regard, the UK should do better, rather than reducing its emissions reduction efforts and delaying its emissions reduction schedule.

The spokesperson of the embassy stressed that he hoped that the British side would respect the facts, take concrete actions, and work with other countries to address the common challenges of mankind, instead of shirking its responsibilities.