As a high-level climate champion, I am often asked about the concept of a just transition — specifically, the responsibility of developed economies toward low — and middle-income nations on the front lines of climate change. It is widely agreed that climate action must be inherently inclusive. The goals of the Paris Agreement cannot be achieved if countries and communities lacking the necessary resources, technology and capacity are left behind. Building a climate-stable and resilient future is not a race that a few leading nations can win alone; it requires a collective effort.
The defining question is no longer about which country must contribute what percentage or who bears the most historical responsibility for climate change. We have moved beyond those debates. A just transition requires developed economies to carry greater responsibility, given their historical emissions and financial capacity. The key issue now is how the expertise, experience and resources of major economies can be translated into practical support for others, lifting up other countries and regions.
With COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, approaching, the global community is looking to developed economies not just to deliver on their own domestic climate ambitions, but also to empower and support smaller nations, non-state actors, and frontline communities. This includes intensifying efforts to achieve the $300 billion annual climate finance target by 2035 to support the climate actions of developing countries.
China's remarkable progress in environmental protection exemplifies how efforts can yield tangible fruit.
The world has witnessed the drastic reduction in air pollution across major cities.
For instance, PM2.5 concentrations in major hubs like Beijing dropped by more than 60 percent, and the number of heavy pollution days in Chinese cities declined by roughly 93 percent by 2023 compared to 2013 levels. Alongside this urban transformation, sweeping reforestation campaigns have expanded the nation's green cover from roughly 12 percent in the early 1980s to over 25 percent today. These gains are largely the result of measures that also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance forest carbon sinks, offering a practical template for how pollution control can deliver climate co-benefits.
Building on this momentum, China is now expanding these successes into comprehensive waste sector management and circular economy frameworks. Under the national "zero-waste city" pilot framework, designed to minimize solid waste generation, maximize resource utilization, and ensure safety, China is advancing efforts to improve solid waste management. Separately, initiatives such as the Beijing Garden City Plan (2023-35) are promoting urban greening and ecological development. By treating waste management not as an environmental burden but as a cornerstone of green growth, China's domestic evolution provides a powerful blueprint for the Global South. It offers invaluable lessons in technology integration, policy engineering, governance and municipal execution that can be shared with developing nations striving for a just transition.
Pollution and climate change do not recognize borders. A breakthrough in one part of the world in battling the climate crisis trickles far beyond man-made geographies — just as failure does. In this interconnected reality, it is time for the international community to coordinate and share successful practices with other countries to lift entire regions.
Since taking on the role of high-level climate champion, I have engaged with numerous non-state actors.
From these interactions, it is clear that we do not lack climate solutions. On the contrary, we have an abundance of innovations and a rich repository of recorded successes in climate action. Crucially, these strategies are not top-down templates imposed from the outside; they are homegrown, community-led and tailored for local realities.
The missing link is scale and pace. To drive the sweeping changes our planet urgently requires, these localized solutions must be supercharged by global platforms.
This is where China is playing a fundamental role in driving transformative change. It is promoting the exchange and wider application of successful grassroots climate solutions through its stewardship in international partnerships and multilateral platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. China and other major economies are helping bridge the gap between local ingenuity and global action.
Furthermore, through institutional leadership in international financial institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China is helping unlock sustainable finance for green infrastructure and the high-tech integration and sustainable capital needed to scale up locally developed solutions. Its international cooperation on artificial intelligence can support the development and application of sustainable technologies. The Belt and Road Initiative can advance these efforts through knowledge exchange, technology cooperation and practical partnerships.
As we look toward COP31, the mandate before us is clear: We must pivot away from abstract pledges and enter the era of true global delivery. By bridging grassroots innovation with its immense multilateral machinery, China is converting local ingenuity into global impact, proving that climate action is not confined to boardroom discussions, but a living reality that communities everywhere can see, touch and feel. At COP31, we should therefore focus not only on the commitments countries make, but also on the partnerships, finance, technology transfer and capacity building that enable locally led solutions to deliver measurable results at scale.
The author is a climate high-level champion for COP31 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
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