On November 12, the high-profile 26th conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (hereinafter referred to as "the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference") closed in Glasgow, UK.

The reporter learned from the global Secretariat center of the "future Earth plan" (China) that while continuing the climate change response negotiations among UNFCCC parties, global experts and scholars also held heated discussions on issues related to climate change and response through side meetings.

Dong Wenjie, Secretary General of the United Nations consultative working environment professional committee of the China Association for science and technology and President of the school of Atmospheric Sciences of Sun Yat sen University, said that the response to climate change is urgent, and the carbon neutralization goal is the direction of global joint efforts. He hoped that the side meeting can offer suggestions and suggestions for the realization of the carbon neutralization goal.

It is of positive significance to implement the 1.5 ° C temperature control goal

On November 4, the United Nations consultative working environment professional committee of China Association for science and technology, together with the global Secretariat center of "future Earth plan" (China) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, successfully held an online side meeting with the theme of "towards regional and global carbon neutralization". Experts from many units at home and abroad were invited to participate in the report and discussion.

Around the theme of carbon neutralization, the participating experts reported and discussed topics such as climate change mechanism, ways to achieve carbon neutralization, carbon neutralization and economic development, energy transformation and natural climate programs.

The side meeting was presided over by Dong Wenjie. Relevant well-known experts in the field of climate change and carbon neutralization at home and abroad participated in the report and discussion, including Zhou Tianjun, researcher of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jean balie, global director of the Consultative Organization for international agricultural research, Chen Ying, researcher of the Institute of ecological civilization of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Jiang Kejun, researcher of the Energy Research Institute of the national development and Reform Commission Xu Yinlong, researcher of Institute of agricultural environment and sustainable development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Qin ZhangCai, Professor of Sun Yat sen University.

Among them, Zhou Tianjun showed the changes of extreme precipitation in the global land monsoon region and its impact on population under different temperature rise target scenarios from 1.5 ° C to 2 ° C, 3 ° C and 4 ° C.

The results show that with the global warming, the frequency of "dangerous" extreme events with strong intensity and high influence (such as "once in 20 years" extreme precipitation events) will increase significantly, resulting in the increase of exposure to such "dangerous" extreme precipitation events in the monsoon region with the temperature rise.

Focusing on how the extreme precipitation events once in 10 and 20 years in the historical records will change in the future, the research shows that if the global temperature increase is controlled at 1.5 ° C, the area and population affected by such events (hereinafter referred to as "population exposure") will be reduced by about 20% - 40% compared with 2 ° C. The higher the "danger" level of extreme events, the greater the risk that can be avoided by the temperature rise target of 1.5 ° C compared with 2 ° C.

Therefore, the 1.5 ° C temperature rise target proposed in the Paris Agreement, compared with the 2 ° C temperature rise target, can significantly reduce the impact of extreme precipitation events on nature and human society, which is particularly important for the densely populated Global Monsoon Region.

There are major opportunities for the dual carbon goal

Chen Ying's speech focused on China's green and low-carbon transformation under the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutralization. She stressed that China's goal of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutralization by 2060 is not only a major country for China to fulfill the Paris Agreement, but also a strategic choice in line with the internal needs of China's sustainable development. She pointed out that the implementation of the double carbon goal means a comprehensive and profound social and economic systematic transformation. It is an overall, long-term and collaborative work. It faces both severe challenges and major opportunities, of which controlling and reducing coal is the most critical.

Balie pointed out that the transformation and development of food system will help realize carbon neutralization. Achieving the goal of carbon neutrality requires the joint efforts of the international community. The global cooperation of the Consultative Organization on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) helps countries to deal with climate change and achieve emission reduction targets, especially with China in this field.

Xu Yinlong systematically introduced the research results of the forward-looking pilot project of carbon neutralization in China's tea production carried out by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with the food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as well as the farmer scale and national provincial scale carbon emission accounting of tea production life cycle carried out by our team in Shaanxi, and put forward the path for producers of different scales to realize carbon neutralization in tea production. This research work supports the proposal of FAO's "global low-carbon food and agricultural production" initiative. Based on this research, FAO carries out the "China Germany Kenya" tripartite cooperation low-carbon tea project under the framework of South South cooperation to further contribute Chinese solutions to global carbon neutralization.

In his final speech at the side meeting, Qin ZhangCai pointed out that the continuous global temperature rise is a common challenge perplexing the current world. Drastic greenhouse gas emission reduction to achieve global carbon neutrality in the middle of this century is a possible way to solve this dilemma. He pointed out that the global carbon sink function of natural ecosystems is very important and has great potential to offset emissions from energy and industrial sources; China's outstanding work in forestry and other ecological engineering fields for nearly half a century has made great contributions to regional carbon sequestration, indicating the operability of the "nature based climate scheme" in achieving the goal of carbon neutralization. However, the release of global natural potential also depends on the action of various countries and regions. Only the global and immediate implementation of the "nature based Climate Program" can reduce the irreversible opportunities for emission reduction caused by slow action as much as possible.

The pressure of greenhouse gas emission reduction is still huge

According to the theme of this meeting, the global carbon project research plan recently participated by Professor Yuan Wenping of Sun Yat sen University released the global carbon accounting results in 2020.

The results show that in 2020, the global industrial greenhouse gas emissions have revert to the level before COVID-19, and the pressure of greenhouse gas emission reduction facing the international community is still enormous. At the same time, terrestrial and marine ecosystems play an important role in carbon sequestration. Their carbon sequestration exceeds more than 50% of the global total carbon sequestration, and plays a vital role in coping with and mitigating climate change. "

At this side meeting, experts and professors delivered speeches in concise language, pictures and texts. The contents were detailed and meaningful. They showed the detailed research on carbon neutralization by Chinese and foreign scientists, as well as the thinking and Discussion on the problems encountered in the process of carbon neutralization and the realization methods, and explored China with an open and innovative attitude and the spirit of unremitting exploration Various ways and methods to achieve carbon neutralization at the regional and global levels.

The speeches and opinions of the participating experts reflect the firm determination and responsibility of regional and major countries to deal with global climate change and achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, and also show China's efforts and contributions to global sustainable development.

It is reported that the "future Earth plan" global Secretary Center (China), which participated in the bid and organization of the conference, was approved to be established in September this year relying on the school of Atmospheric Sciences of Sun Yat sen University. It is one of the important functional Secretary departments of the "future Earth plan" of the international scientific organization. In the future, we will also continue to pay attention to issues related to carbon neutralization and provide help for global sustainable development.