Climate change and health [2]

摘要

We were happy to read the Lancet Commission Report of policy response to protect public health from climate change, and we would like to point out the sustainability of climate finance from the perspective of China. Clearly, huge investment is needed for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change effects in the world's largest emerging country. The Chinese Government is aware of this challenge and has been taking action. Under the 12th Five Year Plan for China (2011-15), the government estimated a need for almost US$800 billion of investment in clean technology, renewable energy, and environmental protection. In 2012, an estimated $270.7 billion of public funds were spent on these initiatives. The Chinese Government has also established 190 emerging industry investment funds, managing a total of $8.6 billion since 2013, and $2.1 billion (25%) of these funds are used in climate related fields. However, non-government sources of investment are limited. Recent estimations suggest that in 2012, finance from the government accounted for almost 20% of the total volume of nationwide climate-related investment in China, by contrast with countries such as the UK and Germany where government spending was less than 5% of total investment. Underinvestment of both enterprises and banks, and reduction in financing from international funds led to excessive reliance on the government for China's climate financial system.