Written evidence submitted by the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
INTRODUCTION
Recognising the importance of DFID China to
delivery of Defra's international objectives this memorandum supports
the evidence that DFID has submitted on its role on international
sustainable development and climate change.
This evidence relates primarily to the issue
of the effectiveness of the UK Government's strategy to
engage with China on international development, especially on
Africa, climate change, sustainable development, poverty reduction
and energy security highlighted by the committee.
DEFRA'S
OBJECTIVES
Defra's objectives on international SD and climate
change are framed by two new cross government PSAs on which it
leads:
— Secure a healthy natural environment
for today and the future.
— Lead the global effort to avoid dangerous
climate change.
And the following Departmental Strategic Objectives:
— Climate change tackled internationally
and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
— Sustainable Development championed
across government, across the UK, and internationally.
The international section of the Sustainable
Development Strategy, Securing the Future, in setting out the
big picture ambition for international SD focuses on fulfilling
a number of commitments and participating actively in a number
of international processes, such as:
— The Millennium Development Goals.
— The commitments from the World Summit
on Sustainable Development.
— The Marrakech process on Sustainable
Consumption and Production.
Engagement with China is vital in delivering
on these commitments.
IMPORTANCE OF
DFID'S ENGAGEMENT
WITH CHINA
IN DELIVERY
OF THESE
OBJECTIVES
Sustainable development
There is no doubt that China is a key international
player and an important partner in working towards sustainable
development, as set out by DFID in its memorandum (point 4.20).
With this in mind Defra established and now
leads the UK-China Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD),
cited by DFID in its memorandum. This is a cross- governmental
initiative that aims to:
— accelerate delivery of international
sustainable development commitments (eg those mentioned above);
— forge alliances to encourage policy
convergence and joint action for delivery;
— establish channels to facilitate
mutual learning and understanding; and
— to create a broad partnership that
involves civil society, the scientific community, and business,
as well as government.
Points 4.21 to 4.26 of DFID's submission provide
more detail on the achievements of the SDD.
DFID has played an absolutely essential role
in the establishment and subsequent management and delivery of
the SDD. The SDD could not have been set up or delivered all that
it has done without DFID's input.
As stated in DFID's memorandum "The dialogue
builds on and enhances pre-existing bilateral collaboration. It
adds value by bringing cross-Whitehall coherence and strategic
direction to bilateral collaboration; establishing clear structures
with reporting, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; encouraging
innovative cross-sectoral policy approaches; and stepping up ministerial
attention and engagement".
DFID has contributed on all of these aspects,
aided by Defra-supported posts in its Beijing office. It has driven
the Dialogue forward with the Chinese Government and engaged a
range of departments as well as external stakeholders in building
new and effective working relationships across government at both
technical and policy levels. Its experience and expertise across
a range of policy areas has been invaluable. DFID is a respected
institution in China and the team has established an excellent
working relationship which has enabled sometimes contentious issues
to be addressed. This relationship is now leading to close joint
working with Chinese government Departments on specific projects
and has enabled DFID to draw together a range of Chinese Departments
to address specific issues, essential in working on sustainable
development. This is quite unusual in the Chinese system, where
cross-Departmental cooperation is an area under development.
One specific recent example is work on sustainable
agriculture. Intensive production in China has contributed
to a transformation in food security, but it has also placed great
stress on the natural resource base through degradation and pollution.
China now faces the significant challenge of maintaining agricultural
production, whilst managing and reducing negative environmental
impacts. Meeting this challenge of sustainable agricultural development
is of immense importance not just for the Chinese people, but
also beyond China's borders, given the global benefits from a
stable China developing in a sustainable fashion to meet the needs
of its people. Sustainable agriculture could support the incomes
and food security of China's 200 million farming families, with
major benefits in terms of greater social stability and improved
development prospects.
DFID has been crucial in facilitating the development
and agreement of a new joint China-UK Work Programme on Sustainable
Agriculture and Fisheries, which builds on existing work with
which DFID is already involved, including a research project into
the impacts of climate change on Chinese agriculture (see below)
and a project in China's Shaanxi province to help improve farmers'
livelihoods and minimise negative environmental impacts by tackling
the over-use of nitrogen fertiliser. DFID has also played a central
role—in terms of providing financial and human resources,
as well as expertise and advice—in work towards establishing
a UK-China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network (SAIN).
This will provide a framework for working more closely together
on research and technology, to stimulate innovation, to help build
awareness of sustainable agriculture and to consider how best
to translate research into policy and practical action. This will
bring benefits for both the UK and China. DFID has facilitated
the process of developing the both the Work Programme and the
Network, including the relationship with the Ministry of Agriculture,
Ministry of Science and Technology and others which are now very
strong.
As alluded to above, the nature of the work
is long term but it is reaping significant rewards and establishing
communication routes that if maintained will continue to reap
rewards for many years to come.
Climate change
Why does China matter?
China will overtake the US as the world's largest
emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) in either 2007 or 2008, according
to the latest estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The largest source of China's emissions, and of this increase,
is energy, and within that coal. We have to find ways to change
Chinese behaviour if we are to have any chance of avoiding the
most serious effects of climate change. At the same time the US
and other key developed countries (eg Japan) will resist taking
on significant commitments in the absence of indications of stronger
Chinese action.
China's energy consumption is increasing at
a breakneck pace. China is currently the world's second largest
energy consumer (10.8% of world total). The IEA predicts that
China will also account for a third of the predicted increase
in world primary energy demand by 2030. The energy decisions China
makes in the next five years will be crucial as these decisions
could lock in current emissions trends for the next 30 years.
However the flip side of this is that China is deploying capital
so quickly that it offers the quickest route to bringing new,
clean, energy technologies to maturity.
How to influence China
We need to recognise China's action on energy
intensity and renewables but broaden the base on which we engage
China to persuade them to take further action. We must reframe
climate change as more than an environmental issue with the full
range of political, security, economic and energy policy makers
and with Chinese industry, science community and the public.
At the same time we need to identify policy
convergences between climate objectives and China's broader domestic
priorities (especially economic and energy security) and build
on these to develop frameworks that will shift investment, and
to develop practical cooperation that works with the grain of
Chinese activity (eg on energy efficiency, renewable energy and
development).
DFID has worked very closely with Defra and
are extremely well placed within China to drive forward several
of Defra's priorities and was integral in setting up the UK China
Working Group on Climate Change (WGCC). The aim of the WGCC is
to further co-operation and sharing of knowledge between China
and the UK on climate change. The WGCC provides a framework for
engagement and enables progress to be made on key issues including
our joint work on adaptation which has been well received and
very influential at both the national and provincial government
levels.
Impacts of climate change on Chinese agriculture
DfID is a key partner in the joint UK/China
research project into the impacts of climate change on Chinese
agriculture (which will now be taken forward under the Work Programme
on Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries referred to above). The
expert regional knowledge and the engagement of DfID staff in
China makes this a very effective partnership. The project itself
is the most advanced of its kind in China and has produced the
first adaptation framework for any of the Chinese regions. This
has improved understanding in China of the impacts of climate
change and potential policy responses, and has led the Chinese
NDRC to say that the UK is their partner of choice on climate
change. DfID has been very influential in ensuring that the project
remains relevant to Chinese policy and has actively engaged with
stakeholders at the national and regional level. Defra and DfID
will be working together with the Chinese to develop further the
approaches taken through the project and to build a more comprehensive
programme of grant supported adaptation work.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
THE COMMITTEE
TO CONSIDER
Sustainable Development and climate change are
global challenges that the world is just beginning to address.
There is no doubt of China's importance in addressing these challenges.
Through its experience and expertise, DFID is well placed to continue
to play a strong role in Beijing in engaging the Chinese. It has
shown itself to be well equipped to work towards true partnership
working with the Chinese, rather than its previous donor-recipient
relationship. However its historic role as donor has given it
useful networks for establishing partnership working and places
it in a unique position in its relationship with the Chinese Government.
Defra would very much like to see DFID continue
to work on the UK-China SDD and on supporting China's strategies
for managing the impacts of climate change beyond 2011.
April 2008
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