The fourth of the seven sins of the United States that threaten global security
Xinhua News Agency Beijing October 29 question: Obstructing the process of emission reduction and harming the global ecological Environment -- The fourth of the "Seven deadly SINS" of the United States threatening global Security
Xinhua News Agency
Some US organizations and politicians have recently slandered China in the environmental field, issued the so-called "list of facts about China's environmental damage", and boasted that the United States is a contributor to global environmental protection. With such disregard for the facts, the US is still playing the old game of "a thief calling for a thief to stop". On the issue of environmental protection, who is doing, who is talking, who is making contributions and who is stirring the pot? The people of the world have this in mind. Facts have proved that the United States is the biggest destroyer of international environmental cooperation and the biggest threat to the global ecological environment.
The United States has gone "backwards" in tackling climate change, seriously undermining global climate governance efforts. As the world's largest cumulative greenhouse gas emitter, the US emits 3.3 times more carbon per capita than the global average. However, while the US is aggressively removing environmental regulations and regulations in China to loosen the shackles of the fossil energy industry, it has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, blatantly withdrew from the Paris Agreement, denied its own binding quantified emission reduction tasks, and completely left the global emission reduction system and arrangement. A US climate research institute predicted that this would result in the US emitting an additional 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases by 2035. As the only contracting party to withdraw from the Paris Agreement so far, the US tramples on the multilateral system, applies international law and rules when they are compatible, and abandons them when they are incompatible, which seriously hinders the global emission reduction process. A BBC article pointed out that the "retrogression" of the United States will make it impossible for the world to meet the goal of tackling global warming.
The failure of the United States to implement its international environmental commitments seriously undermines the fairness of global environmental governance. Since ratifying the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, the United States has been slow to fulfill its emission reduction commitments, and in 2017 it simply tore up its commitments. Since 2018, the US has refused for three consecutive years to fulfill its obligations to submit biannual reports and national communications. In particular, the US has compromised its contribution obligations to multilateral environmental treaties, always defaulting on its arrears. Up to now, the United States owes US $111 million to the Global Environment Facility and tens of millions of US dollars in arrears to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its refusal to honor its financial commitments has greatly weakened the ability of the relevant mechanisms to provide funding to developing countries and severely hampered global cooperation on climate and environment.
The United States' selective "absence" from multilateral environmental treaties has seriously hindered the efficiency of global environmental governance. The United States is the world's largest solid waste exporter and per capita plastic consumer, but so far it has not ratified the Basel Convention, blocking the global plastic waste control process, and transferring a large amount of waste to developing countries, causing great harm to the local and global environment. According to an investigation report released by the Basel Action Network, a Us-Based non-governmental organization, US companies will continue to illegally export hazardous e-waste to developing countries in 2020. In addition, in the areas of chemical control and biodiversity protection, the US has refused to ratify relevant multilateral conventions or protocols, and has long been outside the multilateral governance system, fully revealing its disregard for global environmental protection and multilateral cooperation.
The United States has frequently obstructed international environmental cooperation, seriously delaying the process of global environmental governance. Certain US politicians have repeatedly made false statements, openly challenging the international scientific consensus on climate change. The US has deliberately obstructed the G20 and other multilateral mechanisms, seriously undermining the leading role of international mechanisms on the climate issue. In the field of environmental financing and project approval, the United States has frequently created conflicts. Over the years, it has repeatedly fabricated reasons such as human trafficking and human rights violations to suppress projects in developing countries in the fields of climate change and biodiversity, and projects in China, Cuba, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Brazzaville, Laos and other countries have been subjected to unreasonable difficulties.
Despite its own bad track record, the US continues to smear other countries' efforts in environmental protection. The so-called "list of facts" issued by the US is only a "list of lies" that can be broken with one shot in the face of hard facts. Actions speak louder than words, and justice speaks louder than words. China's achievements and contributions in global climate governance are widely recognized by the international community. China has achieved its 2020 climate action target two years ahead of schedule. One quarter of the global green area added since 2000 comes from China. China now accounts for more than half of the world's new-energy vehicles. Recently, China announced that it will strive to reach a peak in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
The earth is the common home of mankind. To protect the ecological environment requires concerted efforts from all over the world. We urge the US side to stop its political manipulation and malicious slander, assume its due responsibilities, make less trouble for international environmental cooperation, and do more practical things for future generations.