EU proposal for 'carbon price' faces criticism

Move essentially a new tax that gets in way of making advancements in developing countries

A proposal by the European Union to impose a "carbon price" on some imported products is a unilateral act that may jeopardize joint global climate action, experts said at the First World Conference on Best Practicing of Carbon Neutrality in Beijing on Sunday.

The event was jointly organized by the Silk Road Cities Alliance, the China-EU Association and the China-Europe Association for Technical and Economic Cooperation.

The experts made the remarks against the backdrop of a proposal adopted by the European Commission on July 14 for a carbon border adjustment mechanism, which would essentially be a new tax on goods imported into the EU from countries with less stringent regulations on limiting greenhouse gases.

According to the commission, the mechanism will put a "carbon price "on imports of a targeted range of products, and it seeks to ensure that carbon-intensive production is not pushed outside the EU.

Zhang Zhiqiang, an associate researcher with the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, said the mechanism, despite its good intentions, overlooked developed nations' historical responsibilities for heat-trapping gases and the different development stages of various countries.

The international academic community has concluded that about 70 percent of global carbon emissions since the start of the industrial revolution have been made by developed countries, he said, adding that greenhouse gases could exist in the air for over 100 years and may linger for 10,000 years.

Zhang also stressed the correlation of countries' current emissions levels with their stages of development.

A country's level of emissions will gradually decline after it enters a period of post-industrialization, but developing economies, such as China, that are still industrializing are still making "survival" emissions, he said, comparing the situation to the appetites of people of different ages.

"Young people have a high level of activity and eat a lot, but once they get older, their level of activity will decrease as their metabolism slows down," he said.

Zhang said developed countries have also transferred the production of high-carbon products to developing countries, making it even more unfair for the EU to introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism.

If the consumption of high-carbon products made in developing nations was considered, many rich countries would record much higher emission levels, he said.

Zhang said he looks forward to seeing the EU sticking to multilateralism in global climate governance and discussing the issue with other countries.

Cui Zhiguang, an expert with the China Center for Information Industry Development, said: "A carbon border adjustment mechanism is unilateral. But joint endeavors are required to cope with climate change."

He said that the mechanism, which was essentially a tax levied on developing countries, may result in an unfavorable situation for the global climate governance process, he said.