Beijing has endless heavy rains, Paris Olympics triathlon postponed... The impact of extreme weather is becoming more and more obvious and direct, but global climate governance still faces challenges
Since July, the Beijing City Meteorological Observatory has issued five blue and above rainstorm warning messages. The men's individual triathlon competition at the Summer Olympics held as far away as Paris, the capital of France, was forced to be postponed due to excessive levels of Escherichia coli in the Seine River. A statement issued by the World Triathlon Federation stated that pollution in parts of the Seine River was exacerbated by rainfall on July 26 and 27.
According to experience, Paris will reach a week-free period at least three times by the end of June, and the water quality of the Seine River will also be guaranteed. But as Jennifer Francis, a scientist at the Climate Research Center in Woodwell, Massachusetts, said: "Seasonal patterns of the past few decades have made it difficult to provide reliable guidance for a globally warming world." The global impact of climate change has become increasingly obvious and direct. However, compared with the meteorological uncertainty brought by climate change, the uncertainty brought by Europe and the United States seems to be greater to the global response to climate change. The global response to climate change still faces many challenges.
In recent years, extreme weather has become increasingly frequent around the world, with temperatures in many places continuously exceeding 40 ° C. The global average temperature in 2023 will be 1.45±0.12 ° C higher than the pre-industrial level, further approaching or even exceeding the 1.5 ° C temperature control target established by the Paris Agreement. However, some developed countries are using the climate issue to pursue geopolitical interests and regard it as a tool for great powers to play games. For example, during the Ukraine crisis, Europe suspended the provision of meteorological data to Russia, while during the energy crisis, countries such as France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands announced the restart of coal-fired power plants.
In addition, in Europe, addressing climate change issues has gradually merged with trade protectionism. On the morning of April 25, 2023 local time in Europe, the Council of the European Union voted to adopt the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The difference in carbon pricing between the EU and other countries will prompt it to evolve into a carbon tariff, which will in turn set off a new round of trade protectionism. Because just in December 2022, the Group of Seven (G7) officially announced the establishment of a Climate Club, aiming to establish a climate alliance with an "international target carbon price" as the core to impose a carbon tax on imports from non-member countries such as developing countries and underdeveloped countries. At the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference, developed countries promised to provide US$100 billion in climate assistance to developing countries every year by 2020, but the actual assistance is still far short of expectations.
There is no doubt that global climate governance has made important progress in recent years. China played a key role at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, promoting the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, and also committed to reaching the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and striving to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. China has signed 50 cooperation memorandums of understanding with 41 developing countries and continues to provide services to other developing countries through cooperation in building low-carbon demonstration zones, implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, and conducting capacity building training. In particular, small island States, least developed countries and African countries provide support to climate change.
However, in Europe, the political color in the field of climate change is still repeatedly strengthened, and issues such as unilateralism, protectionism, North-South differences, and geopolitical games need to be resolved urgently. As a result, global climate governance is facing severe challenges.
According to the timetable, the exciting Paris Olympics will last for about 11 days. However, the impact of climate change will continue for a long time. Europe should strengthen cooperation with the international community to jointly overcome differences, ensure the fairness and effectiveness of global climate governance, and achieve sustainable development of human society.
