Helping the Government of China reach a balance between the conflicting demands of economic growth, employment and environmental sustainability has been one of the key priorities of the UN System in China for many years now. Seizing the opportunity presented by UNFCCC’s Ad Hoc Working Group Meetings in Tianjin this month, four UN Agencies showcased their work at the official side event “The United Nations System in China: Support to China’s Mitigation Efforts and Low Carbon Development” in Tianjin,8th October 2010.

The four agencies are – the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (UNAPCAEM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) – under the umbrella of the United Nations Theme Group on Climate Change and Environment (UNTGCCE).

The side event highlighted the work of these four UN Agencies in China on climate change mitigation and low carbon development.

Starting with macro issues of balancing economic growth and employment with low carbon development, UNDP presented the China National Human Development Report 2009/10 along with its partner Renmin University. It highlights the shift to a low carbon development pathway as imperative for China to ensure sustainable growth, improve inclusiveness and human development.

The ILO and its national partner, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) highlighted their findings on ‘green employment’ in China, revealing that low carbon development has a positive impact on employment in many major industries. Primary industry is seen as having a predominant advantage in terms of carbon employment rate, and tertiary industry in terms of high carbon employment rate and carbon productivity.

The side event also presented sector specific mitigation efforts. UNAPCAEM presented the conclusions of a feasibility study it undertook with its national partner, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, on CDM potential in the agricultural sector. This included methodological guidelines for the application of CDM for biogas and conservation agriculture, and a need for Public Private Partnerships to facilitate CDM projects in the agricultural sector. UNIDO shared the initial results from a pilot plant for waste heat recovery power generation in the Chinese coal‐gangue brick sector, which it is conducting with its national partner, the Ministry of Agriculture. Small‐scale medium temperature co‐generation has been shown to have good replicable potential across the sector and possibly beyond. There are also positive externalities of reductions in GHG emissions, pollution, and auxiliary energy consumption which were also highlighted.

Much of this work was supported by the MDG Fund through China’s Climate Change Partnership Framework (CCPF).

This was the second of two side events scheduled during the Tianjin UNFCCC meetings.
The first, “Toward an Adaptable Future: the Joint Efforts of UN China” took place Thursday 7th October 2010. For more information on either event, please contact UNTGCCE Chair, Mr. Edward Clarence‐Smith e.clarence‐smith@unido.org.