CCTV9英语新闻11月：中国解决气候变化的年度报告（在线收听）

By CCTV reporter Tang Bo

China issued its annual report on climate change on a smoggy Tuesday in Beijing. The report shows the progress China made in 2012 in combating environmental pollution and coping with climate change. But the air pollution still lingering in northern China, suggests fighting pollution and countering climate change will be a long battle.

Reporting initial achievements…

On Tuesday, China published its annual report addressing climate change in 2012.

The report details the efforts in the past year to reduce CO2 emissions, and its contribution to global efforts to address climate change.

“The report introduces China’s policies on tackling climate change and its actions and achievements, which demonstrates the Chinese government is responsible and determined to meet its commitments,” said Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of National Dev’t & Reform Commission.

But its release on a smoggy Tuesday in the capital couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment.

Poor air quality in Beijing and the “Beijing cough” has repeatedly drawn worldwide attention. It has been a common concern of the Chinese and has triggered serious policy changes.

A 1.75 trillion-yuan plan was approved by the Chinese government in September to tackle the air quality problem. It aims to help reduce the density of particulate matter by at least 10 percent in major cities nationwide by 2017.

During the press conference, Xie said measures to curb air pollution could also help deal with climate change…because both share the same roots.

“The air pollution is a result of the extensive development model in China and also a result of the unreasonable industrial and energy structure in China. I believe the root cause is the use of fossil fuels, including the burning of coal and other fossil fuels. It has also resulted in global warming,” Xie Zhenhua said.

The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Warsaw, Poland in a week. It is being seen as a meeting for launch and implementation of consensus reached in previous conferences.

As one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, experts say China is expected to help push forward a global deal that is both ambitious and quick enough to halt the worst impact of global warming.

The report says China continues to play a positive and constructive role in international climate change negotiations. The Warsaw conference needs to carry out previous recommendations despite the worldwide economic slowdown.