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China denounces Pompeo's smear on its environmental protection record

  • Date: 2020-08-31
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The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday slammed American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for remarks that cast doubt on China's environmental protection efforts and said he should ask himself why the U.S. quit the Paris Agreement on climate change.

China highly values environmental protection and has achieved remarkable results in promoting green and sustainable development, especially in the control of air, water and soil pollution, said spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

Globally, China actively contributes to international environmental protection and performs its duties in treaties such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement and the Basel Convention, he continued.

By 2018, China had slashed carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon emissions per unit of GDP, by 45.8 percent from 2005 levels. The figure can be translated to 5.26 billion fewer tons of carbon dioxide emitted since 2005, said Zhao. 

China also attaches great importance to the environmental impact of plastic waste. As early as 2008, China implemented the "plastic limit order" to reduce "white pollution" and vigorously promoted the recycling of waste plastics. By the end of 2019, the harmless treatment rate of urban domestic waste across the country was close to 99 percent, he noted.

However, Zhao said that the U.S., as the country that produces the most CO2 in the world, hasn't ratified the Kyoto Protocol, withdrew from the Paris Agreement, and completely separates itself from the global carbon emission system and arrangements, seriously hindering the process of global emission reduction and promotion of green and low-carbon development.

"Meanwhile, as the world's largest exporter of solid waste and a major consumer of plastic, the United States doesn't ratify the Basel Convention, and set up obstacles to the global plastic waste management process, and transferred a large amount of waste to developing countries. The move has brought great harm to the local and global environment. I think everyone can see clearly who is wantonly disregarding the global environment and global people's health," Zhao said.


Source:CGTN

Author:CGTN

Date:August 31, 2020