Nation to stick to green goals: UN envoy Liu

China reiterated that it will implement the Paris Agreement and fulfill its international obligations, working with the rest of the international community to turn toward a green approach and low carbon development to realize sustainable development goals, the Chinese ambassador to the UN said on Thursday at a climate change meeting.

Liu Jieyi said that to implement the Paris Agreement, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld and that developed countries "need to make good on their pledge of annual contributions of $100 billion by 2020".

The principle, established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and reaffirmed in the Paris Agreement, acknowledges the different capabilities of different countries in tackling climate change.

Liu spoke at UN headquarters in New York at the Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Agenda meeting convened by Peter Thomson, president of the UN General Assembly. The high-level event highlighted climate change and the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said climate change was both a massive opportunity and an unprecedented threat. He said the current situation was clear and indisputable.

Sea ice had reached an all-time low, sea levels had risen to a historic high and 2016 had been the hottest on record, according to Guterres.

"There is no longer any doubt," he said. "Human activity is causing dangerous global warming."

The EU considers that climate action in G20 countries, which account for some 80 percent of global emissions, will be particularly important, while recognizing the importance to continue to support and work together with developing countries in meeting their mitigation and adaptation needs, said ambassador Joanne Adamson, deputy head of the European Union delegation to the UN.

Liu also said that nationally determined contributions should be translated into policies that promote economic transformation through the development of energy- efficient industries.

"The vision of global green and low carbon development in the Paris Agreement corresponds with China's strategic choice of building an eco-friendly society," he said.

"Regardless of the changes in the international landscape, China will remain committed to a vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development and respond actively to climate change. This is essential for achieving sustainable development and is part of our responsibility of building a community of a shared future for mankind," said Liu.

China pledged to reduce carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared to levels in 2005, and to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 or earlier. Between 2011 and 2015, China's carbon intensity decreased by 21.8 percent, Liu reported.

In the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2030), China set a goal to reduce carbon intensity by 18 percent and increase non-fossil fuel energy to 15 percent of total energy consumption.

Wang Linyan in New York contributed to this story.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com