COP26 Series Reports

Title: COP26 Series Reports | Alashan SEE Collaborates with Multiple Parties to Host a 12-Hour "Carbon Neutrality" Broadcast and Actively Participates in Side Events

Author:  SEE (Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology)

Publisher:  Tencent News

Date: November 15, 2021

Link: https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20211115A0ASSP00 

As extreme weather events continue to occur globally, we need unity more than ever to address the climate crisis and make changes. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has concluded in Glasgow, UK, bringing together tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, youth representatives, businesses, and citizens from around the world for more than ten days of discussions on climate change.

Meanwhile, a group of people concerned about climate change from Alashan SEE is dedicated to the cause of "carbon neutrality" in a unique way.

12-Hour Broadcast: Bringing You the Vision of "Carbon Neutrality"

During the COP26 conference, a 12-hour online broadcast event titled "Bringing You the Vision of Carbon Neutrality," co-hosted by Alashan SEE and the C Team and supported by the Vanke Foundation, was held. More than 80 seasoned professionals from various fields of the carbon neutrality industry shared insights on China's enterprises and social organizations' concerns about climate change, thoughts on carbon reduction, determination to protect the Earth's environment, and commitment to safeguarding the human community.

According to the "China Building Energy Consumption Research Report" released in 2020, the full-process carbon emissions of China's construction sector account for 51.3% of the country's total carbon emissions. At the inception of the Alashan SEE Ecological Association, most corporate members were real estate companies, and even today, 30% are related to the real estate industry. Therefore, the active participation and response of these companies to climate change are crucial for achieving the goal of "carbon neutrality."

In the segment titled "The Relationship Between Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality," Sun Lili, President of the Alashan SEE Ecological Association, stated that they would work with everyone to fulfill corporate social responsibility and provide Chinese solutions and experiences for global biodiversity conservation.

Sun Lili, President of Alashan SEE Ecological Association: In 2009, Chinese entrepreneurs and enterprises participated in the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) held in Copenhagen, representing the Chinese entrepreneur community and making their voices heard globally for the first time. At the same time, they jointly launched a climate change action initiative on behalf of 200 domestic enterprises. Twelve years later, the number of companies participating in this initiative has expanded from the initial 200 to over one million.

For over a decade, Chinese enterprises have actively participated in global actions to address climate change and protect biodiversity. By participating in action initiatives, they have mobilized domestic industrial chains and industry groups to participate in emission reduction and green transformation. Additionally, nature-based solutions are a crucial part of addressing climate change and emission reduction, especially for climate change adaptation.

In the "Chinese Enterprises Are Working Hard" segment, 17 industry guests from different fields discussed and exchanged ideas on "carbon neutrality" from various dimensions, focusing on topics such as green buildings, green manufacturing, green supply chains, and low-carbon black technology.

Let's see what these guests shared.

01 Green Buildings

Zhang Jin Vice Secretary-General, Low Carbon Building Materials Branch, China Building Materials Federation Steel and cement account for 50% of the total building materials used in the construction industry. Reducing emissions during the production of these two materials will directly help lower the carbon emissions during the building's physical phase. Additionally, maintenance materials, which are a significant category of building materials, inevitably consume more resources during production, leading to increased emissions. Currently, we are considering how to achieve industry-wide emission reductions starting from energy-saving and emission reduction in building materials, thus achieving emission reductions throughout the building's entire lifecycle.

Li Jiexin Project Director, Building 2030 China China's green building evaluation standards were established in 2006. By 2020, the proportion of new green buildings in urban new civil buildings had reached 77%, and it is believed that the area of green buildings will further increase in the future. The state has also formulated corresponding standards for green building materials, evolving from early environmental protection requirements to limiting pollution and focusing on human health, and now considering the carbon emissions of building materials. With the continuous practice and development of green buildings and green building materials, it is believed that China's construction industry will surely achieve carbon neutrality.

Hao Yihan Director, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) In the United States, we have promoted the beneficial electrification program through the promotion of equitable electrification laws and measures, helping low-income groups improve their indoor living environments and air quality, enhance overall indoor suitability and safety, and cope with extreme weather. During the renovation process, zero-carbon factors are considered to ensure that low-income groups are not harmed by potentially polluting facilities, thereby improving household energy security.

Zhang Weihong General Manager of Strategy and Public Relations, Liebherr (China) Co., Ltd. Currently, China's building carbon emissions account for half of the global total. I believe there are four new opportunities for reducing carbon emissions in building materials—energy decarbonization, resource reduction, terminal electrification, and system intelligence.

Su Zhigang Chairman, Shenzhen Vanke Times Green Building Technology Co., Ltd. Green buildings are a crucial part of building a beautiful China and achieving the comprehensive goal of a better life. We have documented excellent project cases in green buildings and sponge city performance improvement, with an audience of over 20,000 people, aiding the promotion and popularization of green buildings, livable environments, and sponge cities. In recent years, green and low-carbon have gradually become the main themes of the construction industry, and I believe the green building industry will have better development.

Li Shenhao Director of Technology and Sustainability, CBRE Recently, CBRE publicly announced its commitment to achieving near-zero emissions by 2040. China and the world have entered an era of carbon constraints, and CBRE will continue to exert its strength, helping clients and industry partners in various fields work together towards this goal. From urban planning to property management, from office buildings to public facilities, CBRE aims to achieve the goal of zero emissions by 2040 alongside expert partners.

02 Green Manufacturing

Jerry Huang CEO, Shizu Green Factory In Chinese factories, optimization has been ongoing for many years, but achieving systematic overall optimization remains a challenge. Green industrial transformation requires various partners to work together and collaborate in the industrial internet. We look forward to seeing more factories in the Chinese manufacturing sector embrace digitalization and green transformation, using more digital products to jointly create a beautiful green future for China.

03 Green Supply Chain

Xie Yuanjian Partner and Vice President, Lang Green Technology The green supply chain action in the real estate industry has a broad horizontal span and high complexity. Over the past few years, we have expanded from the initial four categories to thirteen categories, and the number of participating real estate companies has increased from over 40 to 100. In this process, we and everyone involved have researched how to not only achieve "no green, no purchase" but also achieve better upgrades and focus on low-carbon and energy-saving results, promoting long-term sustainable development and contributing to our ultimate goal: a better and happier life for people. This action has participated in the World Climate Conference for four consecutive years, and we hope to continue this work well and establish a unique benchmark for the green supply chain globally.

Xie Luole Deputy Secretary-General, China Building Energy Conservation Association The green supply chain has already gained a certain influence and received widespread attention from society. This work is becoming increasingly valuable and significant, especially under the "dual carbon" goals. Our work not only promotes enterprise transformation and green and low-carbon development in the industry but also contributes to achieving China's 3060 goals and addressing global climate change. This work is arduous and requires further expansion and extension of the whitelist and greenlist categories, an increase in the proportion of green procurement, and the extension of the green supply chain.

Tang Xi Deputy Secretary-General of the Industrial Cooperation Committee, China Real Estate Industry Association, and Deputy Director of the China Real Estate Procurement Platform In the process of achieving dual carbon goals and low-carbon development, the industry should strive to achieve four integrations in project development and construction: first, integrating building structure energy-saving with the application of new energy-saving technologies and products; second, integrating fossil energy conservation with the use of renewable energy; third, integrating urban energy-saving with rural energy-saving; and fourth, integrating energy-saving during the building construction process with energy-saving during the building usage process. Building higher-quality housing will meet people's expectations for a better living environment.

Jiang Yongzun Quality Partner, Caizhu E-commerce Co., Ltd. Based on the platform and the green procurement needs of purchasers, we established the Green Certification Alliance at the beginning of this year, promoting green building material certification, establishing alliance green building material certification standards, and issuing green passports to create a green building material library. In the future, we will build a carbon emission database to provide enterprises and suppliers with relevant information and data support on carbon emission standards.

An Zhou Director, Empowering Ecological Environment Agency The textile industry emits around 1 to 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, making it one of the top ten key emission industries globally. As a typical supply chain industry, simply discussing carbon reduction from the perspective of enterprises or brands does not address the root of the issue. Our agency's two key focuses are re-examining and reconstructing the supply chain's carbon emissions, providing technical solutions for the industry, and developing knowledge training and capacity-building systems for the entire industry with Alashan SEE.

Liu Keli Chief International Affairs Officer, Social Responsibility Working Committee, China Electronic Standardization Technology Association On one hand, we aim to influence the electronics manufacturing industry from proprietary brands to proprietary thinking, optimizing the upstream and downstream of the industry. On the other hand, we will take a series of positive measures during the sales and recycling of electronic products, focusing on manufacturing plants' recycling capabilities and building a circular economy. We hope to rely on academy experts to develop industry practice experts, enabling them to achieve combination strategies and expand industry influence, achieving a green supply chain.

04 Low-Carbon Black Technology

Zhu Bin Director, Carbon Neutral Laboratory, Nanjing University With the intensification of global warming, the number of air conditioners worldwide is expected to soar to 5.6 billion by 2050, doubling energy consumption for cooling. Therefore, developing new energy-efficient green cooling solutions is urgently needed, and zero-carbon radiative cooling technology has emerged in response.

Wang Zhenpeng Associate Researcher/PhD, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences We have combined offshore renewable energy generation with world-leading marine green aquaculture equipment. This application scenario has certain advantages in promoting green aquaculture in deep-sea areas, enhancing wave resistance, self-sufficiency in green energy, reducing labor intensity, improving intelligent aquaculture and monitoring levels, and developing offshore recreational tourism, with certain economic benefits. It provides advanced technology and equipment for promoting green and intelligent aquaculture in deep-sea areas in the future.

Li Jian Chief Technical Engineer, Nanjing TICA Heating & Cooling Technology Co., Ltd. Currently, China's energy utilization rate is very low, only around 33%, which is 10% lower than that of developed countries. At least 50% of energy and industrial energy consumption is wasted through various forms of waste heat. As the world's largest carbon-emitting economy, China's task of achieving carbon neutrality is very arduous. China already has mature waste heat recovery technology, mainly waste heat power generation technology using waste heat boilers and steam turbines. However, the technology for low-temperature waste heat below 300 degrees is still immature, and the ORC technology (Organic Rankine Cycle) has great market potential in low-heat power generation, biomass power generation, and solar thermal power generation.

Yang Kaikai Founder, Shanghai Fenwei Information Technology Co., Ltd. One of the biggest trends in the energy industry in the future is that traditional production resources will gradually shift from the power generation side to the user side. These users are actually the buildings, individuals, industrial parks, and even electric vehicles and charging piles that use electricity every day. These will be crucial components of the virtual power plant in the future.

05 Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions

Zhou Weidong China Director, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Through a global network, we call on the global business community to focus on biodiversity issues and increase their awareness of the potential impacts of their business activities on ecology and nature. The business community and enterprises need not only to talk but also to take action, starting from themselves and participating in specific biodiversity conservation work.

Yan Baohua Secretary-General, Mangrove Foundation (MCF) Mangrove wetlands are an important component of "nature-based solutions" to climate change. The protection and restoration of the mangroves in Shenzhen Bay is a great example. Monitoring has shown that the biodiversity in this area has gradually recovered and restored in recent years, and it has also enhanced the resilience of the entire city of Shenzhen to climate change. This case in Shenzhen has become one of the "Top Ten Classic Cases of Nature-Based Ecological Restoration" jointly released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and IUCN this year.

06 Green Lifestyle

Zhu Chenxi Senior Manager, SynTao Approximately two-thirds of global carbon emissions are related to household consumption. While consumption contributes significantly to economic growth, it also exerts pressure on the climate. Therefore, we need to focus on the transformation towards sustainable consumption. From an environmental perspective, sustainable consumption means that contemporary people must not exceed the limits of the natural environment's capacity while consuming. From the perspective of people and society, sustainable consumption is a form of fair and just consumption, ensuring that our consumption does not harm the production and consumption rights of others.

07 Social Participation

Ding Dong Beijing Factory Director, AuBei Environmental To participate in the trend of reducing carbon emissions, the simplest and most direct method is waste sorting, as waste is generated daily. However, after learning a lot about waste sorting, I encountered a significant difficulty when taking action—my efforts in waste sorting were not well-protected. Self-service drop-off points can help protect everyone's waste sorting efforts and encourage those willing to take action to start. Waste sorting is an effective way for me to participate, eliminating the feeling of "I can't do anything."

During this 12-hour broadcast, more than 80 industry guests also engaged in broad and deep exchanges and sharing on topics such as the relationship between climate change and carbon neutrality, the transformation brought by the "3060" target for China, the impact of carbon neutrality on cities and communities, and changes in people's lifestyles. The aim was to not only raise collective voices on the topic of "carbon neutrality" but also bring more exploration and thought.

COP26 Side Events: Understanding Community Carbon Neutrality

During the conference, a series of side events on "Climate Change and Coastal Community Climate Adaptation" were also held concurrently in Glasgow. On November 8, guests from home and abroad engaged in in-depth exchanges and sharing on the topic of "Bottom-Up Pilot Carbon Neutrality in a Large Coastal Community in China."

Let's take a look at the highlights!

Wang Shi Second President of Alashan SEE, Chairman of Vanke Foundation, and Founder of C-Team Last month, we announced the "Dameisha Action Declaration," calling for enhanced cooperation between the public and private sectors, communities, technology companies, research institutions, investment funds, start-ups, and non-profit organizations. This COP26 released the "Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use," and I strongly agree with reducing the use of timber, reducing forest destruction, and supporting bamboo instead of wood. Vanke, headquartered in Dameisha, uses a large amount of bamboo in its buildings. Vanke has also long insisted on building and promoting the construction of green supply chains together with Alashan SEE. China and India, as the two largest developing countries globally, face similar issues such as large populations. Both sides should learn from each other, work together, and introduce successful experiences to the world. We need to break the existing mindset, create new productivity, and build a platform to promote dialogue and exchange between different sectors.

Sun Lili President of Alashan SEE Ecological Association Today, humanity faces immense, unprecedented challenges. Nature-based solutions are key to addressing the interconnected crises of climate, biodiversity, and health, especially in vulnerable coastal areas. Let us join hands and promote climate mitigation and adaptation in coastal areas through a bottom-up approach, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Vivek Adhia India Director, Sustainable Development Community Association How to promote the implementation of these declarations and achieve large-scale realization requires consideration by all parties. Through a partnership-centered, people-oriented approach, we will promote innovative, sustainable climate solutions. We will integrate global cutting-edge technology, driven by science, to drive practical local actions. This is the core of the people-oriented approach. Promoting people-oriented urban transformation and incubating new growth models requires collaboration with multiple stakeholders, from planning solutions to implementing them. We prioritize addressing socio-economic changes in the path to urban carbon neutrality and develop toolkits to formulate fair long-term strategies.

Trinh ThangLong International Project Advisor, International Bamboo and Rattan Organization Fast-growing and adaptable bamboo contributes to building sustainable communities—protecting and preventing natural disasters, creating comfortable living environments, providing eco-friendly materials, creating jobs and improving the economy, and facilitating carbon reduction. Therefore, such community models should be widely promoted.

Duan Xinkai Chevening Scholar, currently studying at the University of Oxford When discussing achieving community carbon neutrality, we must first clarify the concept of where community carbon emissions come from. By identifying the main entities and activities responsible for community carbon emissions, we can then discuss the community. Today, China's construction of carbon-neutral communities increasingly considers the dynamic impact of lifecycle and residents' lifestyles on carbon neutrality, representing a deeper understanding of community carbon neutrality. We now use urban big data, collect open data, and sense and model real-time urban and community operation states to disclose carbon emissions data closer to the city's real operating state. Carbon-neutral communities now also use a variety of market-oriented means to balance carbon emissions and absorption within the community.

Although COP26 has ended, all parties continue to strive for carbon neutrality. Alashan SEE will also continue to work with entrepreneurs to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible. During COP26, Wang Shi, the second president of Alashan SEE, also conducted an online connection, sharing stories about Alashan SEE and the Climate Change Conference. Additionally, Alashan SEE members Zhu Yong and two "second-generation" philanthropists of Alashan SEE, as volunteers at the China Enterprise Pavilion of COP26, shared their insights on environmental public welfare and their observations during the conference.