THE GREEN DEALS OF THE SILK ROAD, SYMBOL OF THE NEW GENERATION
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has stepped up its work to issue a call under the heading of greener business practices.
5gvirusnews News Centre Nur-Sultan Dr. Nurfer TERCAN / 19 December 2020
Chinese companies are taking on corporate social responsibilities in the countries that have welcomed them and opened their doors wide, in return for the greatest hospitality offered by their hosts. The countries’ positive responses to the call are advancing China’s Belt and Road agenda and lending it speed. Meanwhile, as international communities reach a consensus on achieving the sustainable development goals, experts believe that this is the most opportune time to promote GREEN DEVELOPMENT linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), part of the BRI in Kenya, has established a strict management system that adopts environmentally sensitive practices and processes throughout the project. According to the “2018-2019 Chinese Enterprises in Kenya Social Responsibility Report”, the SGR invested 220 million Kenyan shillings ($1.97 million) in environmental protection and carried out 236 environmental impact assessments (EIA).
As for the management of quarries and waste sites, the Chinese contractor strictly followed, during construction, the environmental protection measures set out in the EIA report in order to minimise the impact on the environment.
According to the report, it also built noise barriers along the section passing through Nairobi Wildlife Park in order to reduce the effect of noise on wildlife. According to the report, in Kenya it adopted a proactive approach to environmental impact management and incorporated energy saving and environmental protection into its daily operations. Chinese companies are focusing on reducing the consumption of raw materials, water and energy by optimising processes and upgrading technologies.
Meanwhile, the companies are working to manage the direct environmental impacts of construction and operating activities, including liquid waste, solid waste, air emissions and noise levels.
China Wu Yi Co, a construction and engineering company, initiated dialogues with local government bodies, wildlife conservation organisations and local communities throughout the construction of the C12 Highway Project. It presented its wildlife conservation experience and practices. It developed protection and rescue operation plans for the sections that could have negative effects on wildlife..
Chinese companies regard ecological restoration as a necessary part of their construction processes. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Kenya signed an agreement with an environmental management company on the restoration of the mangrove ecosystem near its construction site in Mombasa.
According to the report, in response to the Kenyan government’s call to take action to protect the environment, PowerChina set up an incinerator to dispose of the plastic waste generated by the Kenya 330 Highway Project in order to reduce the release of pollutants into the environment. Huawei Technologies (Kenya) has donated about $100,000 each year to the Safaricom Marathon, an annual sporting event held at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy for 10 consecutive years.
Working together with partners around the world, China is jointly building a Green Belt and Road through coordinated efforts aimed at creating synergy for the conservation of global biodiversity.
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and its partners, together with the BRI participating countries, jointly launched the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC) in order to create a cooperation platform for green BRI development and to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goals.
“China will bring its carbon dioxide emissions to a peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Right after (China), South Korea and Japan made similar pledges. In the US, Joe Biden has heralded a green agenda as a fundamental part of his presidency. The EU is carrying out a green new deal, so all three of these major economies are leading the way in going green, and many businesses are doing the same. Erik Solheim, President of the BRI Green Development Institute and former head of the UN Environment Programme, stated in remarks to the Global Times on 8 December that the BRIGC currently has more than 150 partners from more than 40 countries and regions.
BRIGC advisers recommended that China apply stricter environmental controls over its outbound investments. Zhu Chunquan, head of Nature Initiatives and the Tropical Forest Alliance at the World Economic Forum in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday that the BRIGC helps to promote economic, trade and sustainable development cooperation between China and the Belt and Road countries.
Zhu said, “The BRIGC integrates with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are global biodiversity targets, while at the same time addressing the challenges of climate change and reaching carbon-neutral targets.”
Zhu said, “In terms of investment, project planning, design and implementation or operations, (Chinese companies) need to apply internationally recognised standards and guidelines. This is more conducive to international dialogue and gains acceptance in the country where the project is located.”
Solheim stated that, following China’s commitment on carbon neutrality, there is very great enthusiasm for going green. Solheim said, “There needs to be a process among many different stakeholders to build trust and to gather feedback to improve the guidance system. I do not see major obstacles, because everyone on board can see the benefit of going green.”
Although the UN report found that world leaders are falling short of meeting the Paris Agreement target, Solheim said he was confident that humanity can still reach the target. “It is up to us,” Solheim said.
This is the call announcing that the content of Covid-19, which we have learned by heart, will be left far behind in 2021! From now on the name of the new order of the flat world is “GREEN DEAL”
Keywords: Green Nur-Sultan BRI
Translated from the Turkish original.