China, Australia: Towards Copenhagen

Climate change experts from China and Australia met at ANU last week to look at international climate cooperation in the lead up to the UN Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen in December.

The forum brought together experts from ANU, the Australian Government, the Energy Research Institute in China and the Chinese Development Research Centre for wide-ranging discussions on Chinese and Australian climate change programs.

The Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong delivered the keynote address at University House. Senator Wong outlined the key elements needed for a global agreement on climate change and the importance of all nations playing a role in building this agreement.

“Domestic action will be the platform for any international commitments made by nations such as China and Australia,” she said.

“So domestic action in China, Australia and other key countries, as well as cooperation between countries, will be essential in building momentum toward the global agreement we all need.”

She added that the Australian Government’s strategy recognised the science on climate change and the need for urgent action.

In his address to the forum, Professor Jiahua Pan from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences called on wealthy countries to cut back on their “luxurious” lifestyles. He also urged Australia to take the lead in tackling climate change.

Professor Will Steffen and Dr Frank Jotzo from the ANU Climate Change Institute, Mr Blair Comley and Mr Robert Owen-Jones from the Department of Climate Change, Dr Stephen Howe and Associate Professor Ligang Song from the Crawford School, and Professor Yongsheng Zhang from the Renmin University of China also spoke at the conference.

The Australia-China Climate Change Forum was held on Wednesday 15 April 2009 and was organised by the Climate Change Institute, China Institute, China Economy and Business Program and the East Asia Forum in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.