Global efforts needed to fight climate change, save planet

Difficult situation

In the past two years, carbon emissions have been increasing rather than decreasing. Therefore, there is currently no reliable pathway to achieve the 1.5-degree target, and the overall situation is very difficult, he said.

There are also disputes among developed countries and developing countries as to what kind of responsibilities they should shoulder in tackling climate change, Ma said.

Developing countries, such as those in Africa and small island nations, have very low historical cumulative emissions but are greatly affected by climate change.

Developed countries, on the other hand, have been responsible for the majority of historical emissions since the Industrial Revolution. Although they have recognized their responsibility and made commitments to providing financial compensation to developing countries for climate change mitigation, these promises have yet to be fulfilled, which becomes a major problem that undermines solidarity in global climate governance, Ma said.

The Paris Agreement ultimately reached an agreement on countries' voluntary contributions. However, the global climate situation is pressing and urgent, and the current global response measures are clearly insufficient, thus requiring further enhancement and reinforcement. Forming consensus on how to achieve a more fair and just global transition to low carbon is a challenging task, he said.

"To achieve genuine and effective global climate governance, efforts are required in terms of technological advancements, policies, and collaboration across sectors. The daunting challenges mean that we need to seek innovative ways in our climate response. Only through global cooperation and efforts can we address the challenges of climate change and safeguard the future of our planet."

Agencies contributed to this story.