China

One man's banner for change

By Chen Weihua (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-09 11:23
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One man's banner for change
A representative from the Broad Group, based in Hunan, introduces to two visitors energy-saving technologies applied in the China Pavilion, located in the Technological University of Cancun, Mexico. [Chen Weihua / China Daily]

CANCUN, Mexico - For at least one afternoon, the Technological University of Cancun was a beacon for Hao Zhiben's hope and resolve to tackle climate change.

The honorary director of the All-China Environment Federation was not only teaching local students a little bit of Chinese, he was displaying a banner of more than 50 photos that described, as Hao put it, "China's outcry in fighting the climate change".

Each of the photos was about individual banners signed by thousands of Chinese in a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about climate change. A total of 150,000 people endorsed the banners in China in September and October.

Li Lei, a program officer for the federation, said the photos and banner demonstrate to the world the hope and resolve of the Chinese public.

"It is also a call for all the nations to reach legally binding agreements in Cancun and to react to climate change with concrete actions," she said.

Hao has written to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for actions to halt climate change.

"The human being should not become the infilial sons who plunder Mother Earth," said Hao, whose letter citing a Song of Moral Sense, written by Song Dynasty (960-1279) patriot and poet Wen Tianxiang.

Next to the slogans, workers were still putting a finishing touch to the China Pavilion, known in Spanish as "Pabellon Chino" which is expected to be officially unveiled on Thursday.

Built by the Hunan-based Broad Group, the two-story building displays many energy-conserving technologies. It is the same structure Broad Group built for the Shanghai Expo site.

"We want to show that Chinese people are starting to adopt energy-saving technologies," said Pinky He, international manager from the group.

China Daily