China’s climate envoy says the global energy crisis highlights the dangers of fossil fuel dependence and calls for faster renewable energy expansion to strengthen security, resilience and long-term stability.
China’s climate envoy has warned that the global energy crisis is exposing the dangers of heavy reliance on fossil fuel imports, urging countries to rethink energy security strategies and accelerate a shift to renewable energy.
In an interview with Xinhua on Friday during the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, Liu Zhenmin said China’s experience shows that expanding renewable energy is an effective way to strengthen energy security and resilience.
The forum, held in Vienna on April 9 and 10 under the theme “Powering Prosperity, Security and Stability”, was jointly organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Austrian Development Agency and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
Liu said the current energy crisis may slow economic growth for some countries in the short term, but it also serves as a warning against overdependence on a single source of energy imports. Diversifying energy systems and speeding up the transition to renewable energy are essential for long-term stability, he said.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries are required to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and ideally to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Achieving this target will require faster energy transitions to cut emissions, a process Liu described as not only a shift in the energy mix but also a profound economic transformation.
He noted that developing countries face greater challenges in this transition, as many developed nations have already completed industrialisation. To support global carbon neutrality by mid-century, Liu suggested that developed countries should aim to reach carbon neutrality around 2040 to create more space for developing nations.
“The next five years will be critical,” Liu said, urging countries to intensify efforts to curb global warming while maintaining market stability.
As a developing country, China is willing to deepen cooperation with international institutions and developed nations through bilateral, trilateral and multilateral frameworks, and to support countries in the Global South in advancing energy transitions and achieving sustainable development goals, he added.
Source: Xinhua
