The Conference of Sub-committee on Energy and Climate Change of the Association of Northeast Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) was held in North China's Shanxi province on Sept 15.
More than 100 guests attended the conference in the provincial capital Taiyuan, including representatives from the NEAR Secretariat, 12 Chinese provinces, South Korea, Russia and Mongolia, universities, research institutes, associations and enterprises in the energy and climate fields in Northeast Asia.
With "Low Carbon, Efficient, Sharing and Win-win Cooperation" as its theme, the conference focused on issues such as the energy revolution, pollution prevention and tackling climate change.
In the 21st century, the global shortage of sustainable energy is becoming a serious problem. The intensifying challenges of dealing with problems like climate change, irreversible environmental pollution, and energy scarcity, mean that it is vital to build a global consensus to address these issues for the sake of humanity.
NEAR is an international organization established in September 1996. It has 77 member countries in the region, including China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, North Korea and Mongolia.
The Energy and Climate Change Committee is a specialized agency which operates under the authority of the association to discuss energy and climate change issues. It provides a platform for information exchange and technical cooperation in energy and climate change in Northeast Asia, seeks solutions to climate change issues and promotes green development.
Shanxi officially joined the association in September 2016 and became the coordinator of NEAR’s Sub-committee on Energy and Climate Change.
The province has promoted the energy revolution, accelerated the construction of a national new comprehensive energy base and worked hard to tackle climate change.
Following national assessments of provincial governments’ efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions, Shanxi has been rated "excellent" for the past five years.
At the same time, it has taken the lead in establishing an information platform for the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.
Shanxi has upgraded three major coal bases to build a high-end, high-quality and efficient coal industry, and promoted the construction of 15 low-carbon cities and counties; in addition it has developed pilot projects that involve building low-carbon communities, and developing low-carbon tourism and low-carbon businesses.
This year's conference aims to provide a platform and a good opportunity for governments in Northeast Asia to strengthen cooperation and promote international exchanges in the energy industry.
