WWF chief: China paves the way for COP30's nature-climate action

The 30th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, opened Monday in Belém, Brazil, aiming to put the fight against climate change back at the center of international priorities. 

Ahead of the meeting, CGTN spoke with Kirsten Schuijt, the director general of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International), who highlighted China's growing role in aligning nature and climate governance, as well as its contributions to global biodiversity conservation.

Integrating nature and climate

Schuijt emphasized that climate and nature issues must no longer be addressed separately.

"We often discuss these two topics separately, but they are deeply connected," she said. "Nature and biodiversity conservation are crucial not only for reducing climate change but also for helping societies adapt to it."

She emphasized the importance of nature-based solutions and China's "two mountains" concept – lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets-as a globally inspiring development philosophy.

"It goes to the core of the challenge...how to ensure economic progress without harming the environment," she told CGTN. "The world can be inspired by what China is doing in protected areas, species recovery, and climate mitigation."

She cited success stories like China's recovery of giant panda and tiger populations and its land and marine conservation efforts as examples of growth that doesn't harm biodiversity.

China's recently submitted its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UN General Assembly in September was also welcomed as a sign of serious national commitment. She noted that the global energy landscape is shifting as renewables overtake coal for the first time, and that China plays a key role in this transition.

China's global biodiversity legacy

As the host of the 2022 COP15 Biodiversity Conference, China played a key role in establishing its global biodiversity legacy.

As the host of the 2022 COP15 Biodiversity Conference, China was instrumental in securing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and establishing the Global Biodiversity Fund, to which it was the first contributor. Schuijt praised China's efforts toward the global "30 by 30" target – a pledge to protect 30 percent of the world's land and seas by 2030 – and urged continued leadership as COP30 advances the nature-climate agenda.

Videographer: Tian Rongzhen, Yang Zhigang

Cover designer: Yu Peng