A group photo of attendees at the opening ceremony of the China Pavilion and a side event on Ecological Civilization and Beautiful China Practice of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Nov. 30, 2023. [Photo by Han Haidan/China News Service]

The Global Risks Report 2023 released by the World Economic Forum outlines the top 10 global risks, many of which are interconnected with climate change, making climate action a paramount priority in global environmental governance.

In December 2023, during the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, it became apparent that the journey toward global climate governance and green, low-carbon development still has a considerable distance to traverse. 

In January 2024, the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, identified strategic cooperation on energy and climate as a crucial theme, and delved into long-term strategies concerning climate, nature and energy.

Global trend of green and low-carbon development

At present, global efforts on climate change are facing severe challenges.

Global carbon emissions are swiftly rebounding to unprecedented levels. As per the CO2 Emissions in 2022 report by the International Energy Agency, global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions surged by 0.9% in 2022, surpassing 36.8 billion tonnes, with coal and oil remaining overwhelmingly pivotal emission sources.