Expert Commentary | Academician Du Xiangwan: Five Years Since the Proposal of the "Dual Carbon" Goals - China's Practice and Strategic Thinking

2020 On September 22, during the general debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly, President Xi Jinping solemnly announced: "China will enhance its nationally determined contributions, adopt stronger policies and measures, strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030, and endeavor to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060." This year marks five years since the "Dual Carbon" goals were proposed. China has made remarkable progress in its "Dual Carbon" efforts; however, achieving these goals is not a smooth path and still requires overcoming numerous challenges and difficulties. How can public low-carbon awareness be enhanced so that green lifestyles become a social trend? How can various low-carbon and digital technologies provide strong scientific and technological support for achieving the "Dual Carbon" goals? How can China further expand and deepen international exchanges and cooperation to play a greater role in global climate governance? Around these key issues, People's Forum conducted a special interview with Academician Du Xiangwan.

 

People's Forum: The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China states: "Achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a broad and profound economic and social systemic transformation." How should this important assertion be understood?

 

Du Xiangwan: Over the past century, under the combined influence of human activities and natural factors, the world has been experiencing climate change characterized notably by global warming. The international community increasingly recognizes that climate change poses serious threats and challenges to human survival and development now and in the future, and taking active measures to address climate change has become a global consensus. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced that China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The "Dual Carbon" commitment declares China's determination and ambition for green transformation, marking the end of the development model formed since the Industrial Revolution. The rise of a new development paradigm will create a new modernization model for humanity, bringing sustainable green prosperity to China and the world.

 

At the international level, despite many differences and contradictions among countries, the adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement greatly advanced the global response to climate change. The premise of this progress is the introduction of the concept of carbon neutrality. With carbon neutrality as a common goal, countries must strive toward relatively carbon-free directions regardless of the fuel they use—whether coal or renewable energy. It is based on this consensus that countries can work together to jointly address the global challenge of climate change. There is a direct link between the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters. This is no longer merely an environmental issue but a systemic problem involving multiple levels. Therefore, the scientific concept of carbon neutrality must be deeply ingrained so that countries, despite their differences, can reach consensus on this concept.

 

Driving national technological innovation and development transformation through carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is not only an inevitable requirement for high-level ecological and environmental protection but also an intrinsic demand for high-quality economic and social development. Moreover, it is a historic opportunity to narrow the development gap with major developed countries. Achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is the only way to conform to the trend of green development, promote high-quality and sustainable economic and social development, and has become a global consensus. As the world's largest developing country, China thoroughly implements the national strategy of actively responding to climate change, strengthens climate adaptation actions, and makes crucial contributions to protecting our planet.

 

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and addressing climate change is not something others want us to do, but something we must do ourselves." Achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is by no means easy; it is a broad and profound economic and social systemic transformation. This requires us to enhance strategic thinking abilities and focus on integrity, relevance, and synergy. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China states: "Based on China's energy resource endowment, adhere to establishing before breaking, and implement carbon peaking actions in a planned and stepwise manner." Achieving the "Dual Carbon" goals is a complex systemic project requiring a scientific transformation process lasting decades. It calls for deep management innovation, technological innovation, financial support, and active enterprise participation. The implementation of "Dual Carbon" work is highly policy-driven and requires grasping the pace—advancing actively yet prudently, avoiding one-size-fits-all and oversimplification, adhering to establishing before breaking, and promoting economic and social transformation and progress through "Dual Carbon" work.

 

People's Forum: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the concept "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and the 5th anniversary of the "Dual Carbon" goals. What significant achievements has China made in its "Dual Carbon" efforts?

 

Du Xiangwan: The foremost achievement is that the "Dual Carbon" concept has deeply rooted in people's hearts. As an important part of Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought, the "Dual Carbon" goals play a crucial guiding role. The public has gained a deeper understanding of the importance and urgency of reducing carbon emissions. The concept of "zero-waste cities" has gradually become known and accepted by the public. The awareness of saving, environmental protection, and ecology among the entire population continues to strengthen, and a simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon lifestyle is gradually taking shape.

 

At the institutional design level, the "Dual Carbon" work mechanism has been increasingly improved, forming a systematic and complete "1+N" policy system; new breakthroughs continue to be made in demonstration projects and pilot constructions; various industries actively adjust industrial layouts, accelerate transformation and upgrading, and actively explore new development paths prioritizing ecology and green low-carbon; new achievements have been made in building new energy systems; and so on. The "Dual Carbon" work has an increasingly profound impact on China's economic and social systemic transformation. At the same time, China faces huge challenges in achieving the "Dual Carbon" goals. China has a large total carbon emission volume, a heavy industrial structure, and an energy structure dominated by coal, and the time left to achieve carbon neutrality is much shorter than that of developed countries. Challenges and opportunities coexist, providing an important opportunity for China to develop new technologies and promote high-quality development.

 

People's Forum: How can policy incentives and publicity education further enhance public low-carbon awareness and promote the widespread adoption of green lifestyles?

 

Du Xiangwan: For the general public, although it is not necessary to master professional knowledge of carbon emissions, actively reducing carbon emissions and proactively responding to climate change are important manifestations of civic social responsibility. Climate change is not an abstract concept far removed from us but is reflected in all aspects of people's production and life and is closely related to us. Therefore, the public must truly perceive the severity of climate change and its stakes. When green and low-carbon products become mainstream in the market and green consumption becomes the public's conscious choice, even without profound professional knowledge, policy guidance and publicity can help the public easily practice green living.

 

Vigorously advocate the concepts and consumption patterns of simplicity, moderation, green low-carbon, civility, and health, integrating green and saving requirements into social norms, making environmental protection awareness and ecological awareness a conscious mindset of all people. Specifically, public institutions should take the lead in implementing paperless offices; the service industry should widely use recyclable items, vigorously promote the "Clean Plate Campaign," eliminate food waste, strictly control the production, sale, and use of non-degradable disposable plastic products, and expand the application of degradable products; build green logistics systems, rectify excessive packaging, promote green packaging, and reduce logistics carbon emissions.

 

In terms of waste management, standard facilities for the classification and collection of household waste are to be established to ensure full coverage of urban household waste classification and collection facilities. Fixed recycling points or dedicated containers should be set up to independently store hazardous waste, building a hazardous waste collection and transportation network that matches classification needs. Strengthen the standardized management of recyclables, promote the recycling and utilization of low-value recyclables in urban household waste, and improve resource utilization efficiency. Improve the management system and infrastructure for the collection and transportation of kitchen waste, gradually increasing the coverage of standardized kitchen waste collection and transportation.

 

People's Forum: How can various low-carbon, zero-carbon, negative-carbon technologies, as well as digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, be leveraged to achieve the "dual carbon" goals?

 

Du Xiangwan: Technological innovation is the key support for achieving the "dual carbon" goals. It is necessary to continuously implement carbon reduction, decarbonization, and carbon removal measures, strengthen research and development of key technologies such as carbon capture, utilization and storage, and zero-carbon industrial process reengineering, and accelerate the transformation and application of green low-carbon technology innovations. Accelerate industrial structure transformation and technological progress to promote fundamental changes in development models.

 

In the field of artificial intelligence, assist the public in gaining more knowledge about energy saving and emission reduction, and stimulate public participation enthusiasm. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the green low-carbon technology innovation system, such as building technology innovation consortia, encouraging collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research, and application, improving the low-carbon technology standards system, and constructing digital data centers for low-carbon energy.

 

In the energy sector, key technologies include green, intelligent, and efficient coal development and utilization, coal powder preheating combustion technology, circulating fluidized bed high-temperature afterburning, etc.; in nuclear energy, technologies such as controlled nuclear fusion, accelerator-driven subcritical clean nuclear energy systems (ADS), inherently safe nuclear power, and thorium-based molten salt reactors are prominent. In the industrial sector, technologies include industrial digitalization, hydrogen metallurgy, full scrap steel electric furnace processes, carbon dioxide chemical utilization, hydrogen-fueled calcination of cement clinker, and key metal mineral development and recycling. In the transportation sector, technologies include sustainable aviation fuels, new energy vehicles and grid interaction, hydrogen fuel cell stacks, ship electrification, hydrogen fuel aviation engines, and bioethanol.

 

The application of emerging technologies still needs further deepening and expansion. Taking the construction of "zero-waste cities" as an example, intelligent classification assistance is insufficient in the waste source classification and precise identification stage; most regions still rely on traditional methods, and pattern recognition technology has not been fully applied to waste classification. Green design concepts and life cycle assessment technologies have not been widely promoted. In the waste transportation and logistics management stage, there are shortcomings in real-time monitoring and route optimization using IoT and satellite positioning technologies. Garbage transport vehicles lack real-time monitoring systems, making it difficult to accurately grasp vehicle operation status, transport routes, and loading/unloading conditions. At the same time, there is a lack of intelligent scheduling systems, making it difficult to reasonably arrange transportation based on waste type, quantity, and processing capacity, leading to uneven facility utilization. In the waste treatment and resource recovery stage, advanced treatment technologies such as plasma gasification and microbial degradation are limited in application, with traditional incineration and landfill methods still dominant. The construction and application of big data platforms are insufficient; data collection has defects, and waste generation source data cannot be accurately and comprehensively recorded, resulting in a weak data foundation. Data analysis capabilities are insufficient, making it difficult to extract valuable information such as waste generation patterns and differences in waste treatment needs across regions. These technical challenges need to be further overcome.

 

People's Forum: Under the "dual carbon" goals, how can pollution reduction and carbon reduction be synergistically enhanced in the field of solid waste?

 

Du Xiangwan: As a populous country, China generates a huge amount of solid waste. If not properly managed, it will not only cause enormous resource waste but also seriously pollute the environment, adversely affecting the economy and society. Solid waste is a resource misplaced. The level of resource recycling is an important indicator of social progress. The degree of solid waste reduction and resource utilization not only reflects a country's level of ecological civilization construction but also serves as a concrete focus for advancing social governance modernization and improving citizens' quality.

 

Regions need to change their mindset, viewing solid waste as a valuable asset rather than a heavy burden, achieving "turning waste into treasure." Promoting solid waste resource utilization nationwide is not an overnight task but requires long-term and persistent efforts. The construction of "zero-waste cities" is an important measure to thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought. It is a powerful means to promote synergistic pollution and carbon reduction, build a beautiful China, and achieve high-quality development. In July 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the National Ecological Environment Protection Conference: "We must strengthen comprehensive management of solid waste and accelerate the construction of 'zero-waste cities.'" "Zero-waste cities" do not mean no solid waste generation nor complete resource utilization of solid waste. Instead, it is an advanced urban management concept guided by new development philosophies of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing. By promoting green development methods and lifestyles, it continuously advances source reduction and resource utilization of solid waste, minimizes landfill amounts, and reduces the environmental impact of solid waste to the lowest level. The goal is to ultimately achieve minimal solid waste generation, full resource utilization, and safe disposal, realizing a win-win for resources, environment, economy, and society, requiring long-term exploration and practice.

 

The resource utilization of solid waste is an important entry point and lever for green and circular development. It is necessary to strengthen top-level design and planning guidance, clarify strategic goals; legislate first and support with policies, establishing a sound legal system; government-led with fiscal and tax incentives, fully leveraging market mechanisms; improve standards, implement classified policies, and regulate healthy industry development; strengthen technological innovation and support to improve resource utilization efficiency; emphasize education and public awareness, establishing effective public participation mechanisms; undertake international responsibilities, strengthen waste management, and prevent pollution transfer risks.

 

People's Forum: As of May 2024, 151 countries worldwide have proposed carbon neutrality goals. How can China expand and deepen international exchanges and cooperation on "dual carbon" work to better participate in global climate governance?

 

Du Xiangwan: Climate change has become a global security challenge faced by all, and no country can stand aside or remain indifferent. The fundamental approach to addressing this challenge lies in promoting a profound transformation of development modes, transitioning from resource-intensive, high-carbon development models to green, low-carbon ecological civilization development paths. Efforts can focus on energy low-carbon transition, strengthening climate change response measures, promoting green Belt and Road construction, innovating international cooperation projects, and jointly advancing global green and low-carbon development, exploring new paths for sustainable human development together.

 

Maintain strategic determination to achieve the "dual carbon" goals. Achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 is an important milestone but not the end. We must face the difficulties and challenges of low-carbon transition correctly, further strengthen international cooperation and exchanges on climate governance, actively participate in international conferences, project cooperation, academic seminars, talent training, and other activities, and tell vivid stories of China's commitment to "dual carbon." Guided by the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively carry out international cooperation at government, research institution, and enterprise levels, play a promoting role in addressing major global solid waste issues such as plastic pollution governance, and promote innovation in global climate governance in concepts, systems, technologies, and models with the posture of a responsible major country.

 

Strengthen research and communication on climate change, deepen humanity's understanding of the common climate issues we face, build consensus on addressing climate change, and promote the formation of a strong collective force for joint action. In carrying out international cooperation and communication on climate change, it is important not only to let people understand China's pragmatic actions and responsible attitude in responding to climate change, but also to disseminate advanced concepts and successful experiences in tackling climate change; to express the scientific issues of climate change in an easy-to-understand manner, and to closely integrate climate communication with public concerns about livelihood issues. At the same time, actively promote the correct principles for establishing a reasonable international climate system, advocate the development concept of cooperation and win-win outcomes, and contribute China's wisdom and strength to the global response to climate change.

 

Source | People's Forum