China has played an exemplary role in addressing the pressing issue of climate adaptation by actively implementing large-scale solutions and encouraging its youth to participate, according to Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Netherlands-based international organization Global Center on Adaptation (GCA).
In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Verkooijen commended China's determination in responding to the intensification of natural phenomena brought on by climate change, pointing to a 2023 flood in a suburb of Beijing as a prime example.
"There were mega floods in the region and lots of economic damages in particular. That mega flood was turbocharged by climate change. This morning, I had the opportunity to see what the post-disaster response is. Not only how the government respond to the economic impact and destruction, but also how the people from the districts themselves are rolling up their sleeves. Actually, it was quite an inspiring visit to see how disaster is being transformed into opportunity, and that's exactly where the climate adaptation agenda comes in," he said.
He also emphasizes the scale and speed of China's endeavors in advancing climate adaptation over the recent years, particularly in urban planning.
"So China has this dual strategy -- lowering the carbon footprint, of course, all of us know what the targets are, peaking before 2030 and carbon neutral by 2060, and China is on track. At the same time, on the adaptation agenda, it's the sponge city, the iconic initiative, at a scale which is unseen across the globe, led by President Xi Jinping. It's now almost ten years old. What we saw this morning, we could see the fruits of that early implementation plan for adaptation. And secondly, which is as important, not just the scale, it's also the speed, the speed of implementation. We cannot do this in a piecemeal approach. Why? Because the climate emergency is not waiting for us. I think China's response, in the senses of scale and speed, is exactly what we need," said the CEO.
On Friday, the GCA hosted the annual Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day at Tsinghua University, a global event focused on empowering youth from around the world to tackle climate change. Speaking to CGTN, Verkooijen emphasized the potential of young people to innovate solutions for climate adaptation.
"So during the Tsinghua event, we go around the globe where leadership will come from the bottom up. Youth representatives will come forward and say, 'Well, listen, this is my problem set in my specific context. This is what I plan to do.' Whether it's mangrove restoration, whether it's waste management, whether it's irrigation in agriculture, there are all sorts of breakthroughs which young entrepreneurs are already working on. So over 24 hours, we will go around the world in close to 70 countries. But China is leading the way. So the Chinese youth representation will put on the table their ideas, their solutions, their needs for international collaboration. It's very exciting and very important. We need the boldness of the youth constituency to step up. They need to be loud. They need to speak to the decision-makers of today, basically indicating: wake up, accelerate, speed up, and be as bold as the problem is," he said.
China leads in climate adaptation: Global Center on Adaptation CEO
