HANGZHOU, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's participation in the global climate governance system is indispensable, said Jim Skea, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the recent IPCC's 62nd session in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.
Held from Feb. 24 to March 1, the session marked China's first time hosting an IPCC meeting. The meeting concluded with the finalization of outlines for three major reports under the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report Cycle (AR7).
The AR7 cycle focuses on adapting to climate impacts, exploring synergies between climate action and sustainable development, and technologies such as carbon dioxide removal and carbon capture utilization and storage.
Skea commended China for its excellent hosting of the session, which brought together government representatives from over 130 countries, as well as relevant observer organizations and international bodies.
The facilities and organization by Zhejiang Province and Hangzhou have been wonderful, he said, adding that Chinese people have made excellent contributions to IPCC's work.
Chinese scientists have taken part in the IPCC's work for years, with hundreds contributing to the writing and reviewing of its assessment reports since the IPCC was established.
Zhang Xiaoye, an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, serves as co-chair of Working Group I (Physical Science Basis) for AR7. Zhai Panmao was the co-chair in the previous cycle.
As an expert in climate change mitigation in the energy sector, Skea praised China's progress in renewable energy, noting that the country's deployment of renewable energy, including solar energy and wind energy, is the highest in the world. "China is a major contributor, and you can see the kind of changes the energy transition occurring here in China."
It is significant that China has been taking a very positive role in international discussions in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, said Skea. "Chinese participation is actually indispensable. It's such a large part of the global system. Without that participation. I think global efforts would be much less effective."
Established in 1988, the IPCC has published 43 assessment reports on climate change over the past six cycles, forming the scientific backbone of global climate policies. ■
