Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez addressed a Young Communist League of Britain educational on capitalism and the environment, held on Zoom on 14 November 2024.
In his presentation, Carlos discusses the current trend in the West for blaming China for the climate crisis, on the basis of its having become the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. He points out the various flaws in this logic, including that China’s per capita emissions are around half those of the US; that China is the “workshop of the world” and, as such, has “imported” a huge volume of emissions from the West; and that, in terms of cumulative carbon emissions (the quantity of excess carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere), North America and Western Europe are responsible for the lion’s share.
He notes that China’s environmental record is purposefully painted in a negative light in order to minimise the West’s historic responsibility and to imply that China – a developing country – should contribute at the same level as the West to the global fund for helping poorer countries with climate change adaptation and mitigation. This clearly runs counter to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities – a principle enshrined in international law.
Carlos also highlights China’s remarkable progress in the last 10-20 years in pursuing an ecological civilisation, noting that environmental protection has become integrated into all levels of policy-making and economic planning. Credible analysis indicates that it has already reached its goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030. Meanwhile, it has become by far the global leader in renewable energy, electric transport, biodiversity protection and afforestation. China’s innovations and investment in green energy have brought costs down globally by upwards of 80 percent, and, via the Belt and Road Initiative, China is helping countries of the Global South to leapfrog fossil fuel-based development.
Carlos goes on to explore the reasons that China in particular has emerged as a trailblazer in environmental protection, and concludes by pointing to the danger of a New Cold War impeding urgently-needed global cooperation around climate change.
