Many environmentalist are worried about losing what progress has been made on climate change after Donald Trump is inaugurated as US president, given his repeated denial of the issue. Chinese experts say they believe China will keep moving forward even if the Trump administration doesn't come along.
When Bai Yunwen heard that Donald Trump had been elected president, she was a few days into international climate talks in Marrakech, Morocco. She recalls that the atmosphere became rather dispirited, everybody was unsure about how they should continue and what will happen in the future.
At the same time, halfway across the globe, an article was posted on Chinese popular science website guokr.com, listing Trump's tweets that the author argued show him to be against science, especially in terms of his attitude toward climate change, which he has called a concept that was "created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."
The post generated heated discussion. There were voices that argued "The world has been kidnapped by left-wing politicians … Trump was only speaking the truth."
Another citizen lamented, "I have never realized until now how many people refuse to believe in climate change."
Though in different levels and scales, these responses are typical of how Chinese concerned about the environment have reacted to Trump's ascendency, with confusion and anxiety.
But one thing is for sure, China will continue its current efforts on climate change, Bai said. She is the director of the policy center at Greenovation Hub, a Beijing-based environmentalist NGO. The organization conducts independent research and invites governments, NGOs and other parties to open dialogue and push for policy advancement.
During the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties in Marrakesh, one thing became more and more clear to Bai, that the determination of many countries to push forward on this issue has not changed, despite what may happen in the US in the future.
Source: Global Times
