Chongqing's "Carbon Huitong" platform shelves "bus coupons" worth millions of yuan
On May 15, the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Commission jointly promoted the listing of "bus coupons" worth one million yuan in the Chongqing "Carbon Huitong" platform points mall for citizens to use "carbon credits" to exchange directly, realizing the public green travel carbon inclusive closed loop for the first time.
It is understood that the "Carbon Huitong" platform is the country's first voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction platform integrating carbon compliance, carbon neutrality and carbon inclusive functions under the guidance of Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and built and operated by Chongqing Credit Information Company. Officially launched in 2021, the platform is committed to promoting and implanting the concept of green and low-carbon production and life to the public, and has built a total of 15 application scenarios such as Chongqing Kuaiban, Chongqing Public Transportation, and Didi Chuxing, attracting nearly 2 million users to register and participate. In 2024, under the joint guidance of the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and the Municipal Transportation Commission, the "Carbon Huitong" platform will be directly connected to the data of Chongqing Public Transport Group. This cooperation stems from the resonance of the platform's "residents' inclusive" needs and Chongqing Public Transport Group's "low-carbon travel" needs at the same frequency, realizing the common benefits of the platform, public transportation and residents. According to estimates, citizens can get 1.1 carbon credits for each bus ride to reduce carbon emissions by about 120g, and the carbon credits in all scenarios of the platform can be exchanged for a bus coupon (face value of 2 yuan) when accumulating 20 points, which can be automatically deducted when using the platform to scan the code to take the bus.
The relevant person in charge of the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment said that the national and local carbon markets are mainly aimed at key high-emission industries and enterprises, and the voluntary emission reduction market has played a complementary role in the mandatory emission reduction market. Chongqing's local voluntary emission reduction system is led by the government, fully introduces market tools, and has the characteristics of high public welfare and high credibility.
The relevant person in charge of the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Commission said that due to the special mountainous terrain, Chongqing has the most complex and diverse "three-dimensional" transportation system in the country, and Chongqing's bus network highlights "fast, dry, branch, and micro". A total of 894 bus lines have been operated in the central urban area, with a total length of more than 15,000 kilometers, a 55.1% motorized travel share rate of public transportation, a total of 5,452 new energy buses, and an average daily passenger flow of about 3.8 million in 2023. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, Chongqing's low-carbon transformation in the field of transportation has been accelerating, and the conditions for green travel have been improved.
The Chongqing Public Transport Group's "Urban Public Transport Vehicle Travel Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Project" issued this time is a policy innovation of the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Commission to promote the public to practice low-carbon travel, and it is the first time that Chongqing has realized the closed-loop operation of carbon inclusiveness of "low-carbon behavior, carbon emission reduction verification, realization, and public incentives". After the first cycle of 166,000 tons of CQCER ("Carbon Huitong" project voluntary emission reduction) was realized through the Chongqing carbon market, Chongqing Public Transport Group converted all the revenue into bus coupons and put them on the shelves of the "Carbon Huitong" platform points mall, which not only enriched the trading products of Chongqing's local carbon market, but also endowed Chongqing's voluntary emission reduction system with hematopoietic function, strengthened the attributes of the carbon credit market, and stimulated the initiative and enthusiasm of the public to participate in carbon emission reduction, so as to truly realize the "benefit of the people".
Next, the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment will upgrade and improve the city's "carbon benefit" voluntary emission reduction system, and the newly revised management measures will guide the national and Chongqing ecological civilization construction, the creation of the "33618" manufacturing cluster system, rural revitalization and other major strategic guidance, in accordance with the principles of scientificity, inclusiveness, additionality, applicability, etc., from the three major sectors of engineering, ecological carbon sink and carbon inclusiveness to guide the social green and low-carbon practice in an all-round way. The Municipal Transportation Commission will build a multi-level "public transport convenience travel network", continue to optimize bus routes, accelerate the construction of a micro-circulation bus service network, promote the integrated connection of public rail, promote the replacement of new energy vehicles and the construction of charging stations for public transport, and help urban transportation stride into a new era of "green, low-carbon and smart travel".
