Solar-industry leader calls for action on Paris deal

It’s time for businesses to take action on achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement by ivesting in renewable energy, adopting a carbon price and improving sustainability reporting, among other things, says Chinese solar giant JinkoSolar.

solar pv cn
China's photovoltaic installation capacity amounted to 43.18 gigawatt by the end of 2015. Image: Shutterstock

JinkoSolar, a global leader in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, attended B20 Summit in Berlin on May 2-3 and called for action on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

At the summit, whose theme is “Resilience, Responsibility, Responsiveness - Towards a Future-oriented, Sustainable World Economy,” how to promote sustainable development of economy and implement the Paris Agreement are key issues on the agenda.

“The implementation of the agreement depends on business involvement and engagement,” asserted Qian Jing, vice president of JinkoSolar. “It is time for businesses to take action.”

She said, “Starting from their own expertise and experience, companies can, for example, steer their capital towards direct investment in clean energy projects and low carbon, energy efficient technology and businesses, purchase and increase use of renewable energy, and become carbon neutral.”

She used giants like Apple, Google and Walmart as examples to elaborate her point — These companies have been actively implementing sustainable development strategies and promoting renewable energy projects to fulfill the target of running entirely on renewable energy.

Companies also can report emissions and disclose climate change relevant data and information, adapt their business model and supply chain to seize this energy transition opportunity and create new jobs, internally price carbon, comply and align with government climate and energy regulation, support developing low carbon technology and science, and take a responsible approach to lobbying on climate action.

Qian believed if enterprises can seize the opportunity brought by energy transformation, a new growth engine will emerge for enterprises.

JinkoSolar has been committed to reducing the cost of solar power and helping enterprises shift energy structure and turn more sustainable, and thus implement the Paris Agreement.

Carbon trade and carbon pricing are at the exploration stage and need unified standards. China will launch a national carbon emission trade system in 2017, putting itself on a path towards green, low-carbon and climate change-adaptive economy. This year’s B20 Summit has proposed building a platform dedicated to the strategic dialogue for carbon pricing, meaning that solid progress will be made on carbon trade in 2017.

Qian said, “We hope G20 governments cooperatively launch a unified carbon market on a broader spectrum, design rules, guidelines, procedures to help parties establish trading schemes, establish a dedicated committee or consultancy group to help countries with carbon market building and pricing setting to address gaps and needs.”

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