Opinion: Entrepreneurs Can Be the Main Actors Fighting Climate Change

From Copenhagen to Glasgow, I have attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference every year. In what seems like a blink of an eye, 10 years have passed. During these 10 years, our earth and the situation for us human beings have seen great changes. In the context of Covid-19, our world has become full of uncertainties, but there is one thing I can be sure of: I can always meet my old friends in the China Corporate Pavilion.

China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua and America’s former Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr. once again met at the China Corporate Pavilion. I sincerely welcomed their visit, which brought back memories from many years ago.

The first time I attended the U.N. Climate Change Conference was in 2009 in Copenhagen. What left me with the deepest impression was that as soon as I got off the train, I saw large posters showing future, older versions of the leaders of various countries paired with a quote in the tone of a leader:

“I’m sorry. We could have stopped catastrophic climate change... We didn’t.” These posters conveyed pessimism.

I have not seen similar posters at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. If there are such posters, I hope the slogan would read: “I am very proud, because I made the right decision at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference and now the earth is not in too bad a shape.” Obviously, I am conveying optimism.

Should we be optimistic? At least here, in the China Corporate Pavilion, we have reasons to be optimistic.

China’s growing representation

When I first attended the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2009, the “China Corporate Pavilion” was nothing like what it is now. At that time, very few nongovernmental Chinese people went abroad to attend the conference. From memory, only three people, including me, attended the conference in 2009, and we represented only about 100 enterprises. We did not know how to organize a climate declaration of Chinese enterprises and could not find a venue to launch an event. We used the corridor as our promotion area and decorated it with two balloons, but no one paid any attention to us.

In spite of this, we did not give up, and I have attended every event since. Thanks to my persistence, I have been able to witness the change every year.

At the 2013 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Warsaw, the “China Pavilion” and “China Enterprise Day” were established, attracting more and more Chinese enterprises to participate in the conference, and the number of Chinese enterprises represented went from 100 to 1,000. At the 2015 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris, that number reached 10,000. And in 2018 and 2019, even more Chinese people participated, representing 1 million enterprises.

In 2021, despite the pandemic, Chinese enterprises participating in the ongoing parallel online and offline sessions at the China Pavilion cover almost all industries in the field of carbon emissions reduction, including construction, energy, finance, industry, transportation, internet, retail, fashion, carbon management and so on. Next, CBCA (China Business Climate Action) will launch a joint initiative with more than 1 million representative enterprises.

Behind the increase from 100 to 1,000 to 10,000 to 1 million are changes happening in China and changes of ideas — Chinese entrepreneurs have also realized that if no change is made today, the planet will abandon mankind. I believe that even if Elon Musk would succeed in sending people to Mars, the vast majority would still be stuck on earth with nowhere to go.

Chinese entrepreneurs’ perception of climate change is consistent with the international community.

Entrepreneurs’ responsibility

In recent years, national policy adjustments have served as an important driving force for change, especially the dual carbon goals, which are China’s commitment and the responsibility of the country and its people. But what pressures, hardships and possible influence will this commitment and responsibility bring to China, a large country with 1.4 billion people and a fast-developing economy?

We often use two words to describe such a change: “systemic” and “disruptive.” “Systemic” implies that the scope reaches all people and all businesses, while “disruptive” refers to intensity. No matter what, this change has already taken place, and there is nothing we can do about it. I remember a Chinese official saying that enterprises are a major force in the fight against climate change. The government sets goals, formulates regulations, policies and standards, and creates an external environment. Industries, enterprises and society are the main forces to fulfill the goals, while entrepreneurs are the main actors.

All we can do is embrace change and find opportunities in it. Here, I would like to share a story with you, hoping that it can give you some inspiration.

In 2002, I started mountain climbing. Before that, I had read “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” a novel by Hemingway, who wrote that there is an everlasting snow-capped mountain near the equator called Mount Kilimanjaro. It was because of the novel that I decided to climb to its peak. But to my astonishment, I did not see snow, only glaciers. Why? Because of climate change, Mount Kilimanjaro now has only seasonal snow.

I felt a little disappointed and asked myself why this change had happened? So I looked it up and was stunned when I found out why. Climate change is largely attributed to deforestation, and one of the largest consumers of forests is the real estate industry. As the leader of China’s largest real estate company, I felt terrified. This meant that the disappearance of the snow described by Hemingway was connected with me and my company. Isn’t it horrible?

But I also found hope. If I can make changes, it may have a positive impact on climate change.

After returning home, we got down to communicate with international organizations and enterprises in the field of climate change, determined to change and influence our supply chain. We also encouraged enterprises within the industry to take concerted action to adjust the supply chain. We informed our partners that we would reject their products unless they had green certification.

Joint efforts are extremely powerful. As of 2020, the total sales of the green supply chain of real estate companies jumped from zero to 40% of that of residential properties nationwide. In many industries, the green supply chain trend is getting more and more popular among Chinese enterprises.

In conclusion, to meet China’s two carbon goals, enterprises should: (1) be confident and resolute, (2) take action and (3) strengthen international cooperation, especially with international organizations and enterprises.

Pinning hopes on the youth

I am now 70 years old, and when it comes to the dual carbon goals, I might — thanks to modern medical technology — be able to witness the peaking of carbon emissions by 2030. It is, however, hard to say if I will still be alive in 2060. Why have we engaged in all these years of environmental protection? Why have we firmly upheld national strategies to address climate change and seized any chance to make our weak voices heard and make pygmy efforts? Why? Because we would like to fulfill the responsibility of our generation.

There is one thing I would like to share. A few years ago, I selected a grave for myself, and I really hope that people will not blame or think ill of me when passing my grave. If they happen to look up my name and search for relevant information online, I hope that what they will find is that our generation made great contributions to the living environment of our descendants. If so, I will rest in peace.

Of course, before my long sleep, I would like to do what many Chinese generations have done before me: pinning my hopes on the youth.

These are not just empty words. A month ago, I gave a lecture at a university in Shanghai. A student told me, “Mr. Wang, I am the same as you.” I was confused and asked him why. He said, “You like reading, sports and public welfare; I also like reading, sports and participating in public services in my spare time, so I am the same as you.”

I replied, “We are not the same. People in my generation only engage in public welfare after their enterprises have reached a certain scale, but you have done so at a young age. In this regard, you are better than me.”

Therefore, I am sincerely and confidently pinning my hopes on the youth.

Wang Shi is President of Vanke Foundation. The article is based on his speech delivered at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference Nov. 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The views and opinions expressed in this opinion section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the editorial positions of Caixin Media.

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