COP29 Official Side Event : "Belt and Road" Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Successfully Held

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 16, 2024, the official side event "Belt and Road" Climate Mitigation and Adaptation: Cases and Practices, hosted by the All-China Environment Federation and the Government of Ethiopia, and co-organized by the China Investment Association, was successfully held at the Blue Zone of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). Representatives from government, business, and non-governmental organizations from China and Ethiopia shared their experiences and practices on the synergy between economic development and addressing climate change along the "Belt and Road". The Belt and Road Ecological Industry Cooperation Working Committee of the All-China Environment Federation released the 2024 "Belt and Road" Green Supply Chain Cases and the 2024 "Belt and Road" Eco-environmental Governance Technology and Product Recommendation Directory during the event.

H.E. Fitsum Assefa Adela, Minister of Planning and Development of Ethiopia, delivered the opening remarks. She first introduced Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative, which aims to plant 4 billion trees in 6 years and increase forest coverage to 23.6%. She also showcased Ethiopia's efforts in regional energy integration and sustainable development and expressed support for China's green "Belt and Road" work.

Ni Yao, Deputy Director of International Department of the All-China Environment Federation and the representative of the event organizers, then read out the message from China's Special Envoy on Climate Change, Mr. Liu Zhenmin. Mr. Liu  stated that under the framework of the "Belt and Road", green development cooperation has become the main theme between China and the countries along the Belt and Road. More and more Chinese enterprises are expanding their businesses along the "Belt and Road". To date, there are more than 1,800 Chinese enterprises in Ethiopia alone, cooperating in fields such as photovoltaics, energy storage, and home appliances. China appreciates Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative and its efforts in climate mitigation and adaptation. It also looks forward to more Chinese enterprises going global, strengthening cooperation with Ethiopia, African partners, and a wide range of "Belt and Road" countries, promoting green and low-carbon development along the "Belt and Road", and contributing to the early realization of the Paris Agreement goals.

In the keynote speech session, Dr. Adefires Worku, the head of the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative, and Jack Zhang, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Energy Investment Professional Committee of the China Investment Association, shared the current status and progress of ecological protection and forest carbon sinks, and the construction of zero-carbon industrial parks along the "Belt and Road". Jinko Energy, Shenyang Huade Haitian Electric Appliance, and Shanghai Treasure Carbon shared the practices of Chinese enterprises from the perspectives of renewable energy, green manufacturing, and carbon sink development.

Among them, Zhu Weiqing, Chairman of Shanghai Treasure Carbon New Energy Environmental Protection Technology Ltd., deeply analyzed the current status and development potential of carbon markets along the "Belt and Road" countries. She elaborated on the key role of carbon markets and carbon financial services in promoting the transformation of the green economy. She also shared Baocarbon's rich experience and practical results in the development and management of international carbon assets, which won high praise from the participants. She said that as the world moves towards a low-carbon transition, the carbon market will become an important link connecting the climate targets and economic transformation needs of various countries. It is also one of the key points discussed at this conference—to strengthen cooperation in rule-making and mechanism innovation, which will inject new momentum into the development of the global carbon market, thus opening up a feasible path to achieve the global carbon neutrality goal.

In the roundtable dialogue session, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Director of the Strategic Planning Department of the National Climate Strategy Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Mr. Chai Qimin, and Mr. Zhang Hai Meng, Chief Sustainability Officer of Longi Green Energy, and other representatives shared their experiences and insights on the opportunities and challenges in the construction of the "Belt and Road". They also exchange views on the application of renewable energy and synergy between ecological protection and tackling climate change in "Belt and Road" countries.