California governor pins high hopes on China
- By Li Xiaohua
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 15, 2017
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California Governor Jerry Brown gives a speech at a side event held at China Pavilion during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bonn on Nov. 14. [Photo by Li Xiaohua / China.org.cn] |
California Governor Jerry Brown, speaking in Bonn, Germany, on Nov. 14, said his state is counting on China to drive down the price of zero emission vehicles.
Attending a side event held at China Pavilion during the U.N. Climate Change Conference, Brown, who is one of a number of state governors standing up to President Donald Trump on climate change, applauded China's "great work" on reducing carbon emissions.
"It is absolutely essential for the carbon trading market to work as perfectly as possible" in China, one of the world's most populous countries and the biggest emitter of carbon emissions, he said.
China's carbon trading market has completed preparatory work and is now awaiting approval from the authorities, said Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change, at the same event.
However, Brown warned that China should be very cautious when launching such a market, based on California's experience in spending many years preparing to launch the system. "The trading system isn't going to be carried out overnight. There are many technical issues, and particularly how one should count the emissions, how each industry reports and how we verify the emissions that are reported."
The governor also lambasted the claim by most republicans, led by Trump, that "climate change is a hoax", saying: "That is probably the most absurd thing that's ever been said on the topic of climate change. In fact, I believe, that statement actually helps because it gives climate denial a very bad name."
Brown believed a trading system alone would not be enough to combat climate change, explaining that, "you need other things, for example, zero emission vehicles."
China is the biggest auto market in the world, and California is the biggest auto market in America. Both are committed to zero emission vehicles.
"China is now taking the very important step. We are counting on China to be even more aggressive, requiring all companies to make an ever-increasing number of zero emission cars if they want to sell any combustion cars.
"We are looking forward to China driving down the price, just like you drove down the price of batteries. If you make it cheap, and make it safe, then California will buy, probably more than any places in the world," he concluded.
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