“The harm of climate change is imminent.” Chao Qingchen, deputy director of the National Climate Center, recently stated that in this regard, companies must fully demonstrate the feasibility of climate risks when constructing and investing in order to avoid congenital deficiencies in investment and construction projects. risks of. The full use of climate resources can improve the economic benefits of enterprises.
“In the future, energy will use more clean energy. If the area where the company is located has wind, light, water and climate resources, with the development of future technology, it can reduce Cost and improve economic efficiency.” Chao Qingchen said.
To achieve “carbon peak” by 2030 and “carbon neutral” by 2060 are China’s commitments to respond to global climate change. Recently, Chao Qingchen gave a speech on “Enterprise Challenges and Opportunities under the Carbon Neutrality Goal” at the 2021 China International Petrochemical Conference, introducing what the “dual carbon” goal means to humans and enterprises.
“In 2021, we have all experienced the extreme weather and climate events frequently occurring globally. Since the beginning of the year, the freezing weather in Texas in the United States caused large-scale power outages. Since late June, the United States and Canada experienced the hottest June on record. In mid-July, central and western Europe suffered a sudden devastating rainstorm and floods. In July, Zhengzhou, Henan, China and other places encountered rare extreme rainstorms. At the end of August, 170 years. The strongest hurricane raided the United States. In October, there was a heavy rain in Shanxi, Shaanxi, China…” Chao Qingchen said.
Although greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and ozone are very low in the atmosphere, they have a significant impact on the earth’s climate and environment. “Although these gases only account for less than 0.1% of the total volume of the atmosphere, they can absorb the earth’s long-wave radiation and produce a greenhouse effect like glass in a greenhouse.”
“Without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature of the earth’s surface would be -19°C instead of the current 14°C. But things must be reversed. If there are too many greenhouse gases, it will bring disaster to the earth’s environment.” She pointed out that too much greenhouse gas will cause Global warming has caused rising sea levels and various extreme weather and climate events. 
The risk of global temperature rise by 1.5℃ and 2℃
Human activities have caused unprecedented changes in the climate system-the past 50 years are the pastThe warmest 50 years since 2000, and from 2010 to 2020, the global surface temperature has risen by 1.09°C over the period of the Industrial Revolution.
Global warming will also affect ecosystems, affecting water resources (such as water volume and water quality), coastal zones (such as coastal erosion, land inundation), and population health (such as Infectious disease) etc. These effects will be transmitted to the socio-economic system, which may cause price fluctuations in the trade market and even lead to social instability.
From the perspective of enterprises, climate change will affect the production of enterprises, and may also directly cause the loss of physical assets, and influence financial institutions and investors.
Specifically, global warming first brings physical risks, which may be chronic, such as trend changes in temperature and precipitation, or acute , Such as extreme weather events. For example, conditions such as high temperature and drought will directly affect the income of the agricultural sector; hurricanes, floods and wildfires will also affect physical assets and may cause loss of asset value. Since companies often have loans in banks, their losses may cause loan repayment defaults, thereby affecting financial institutions.
“Under the’dual carbon’ goal, China’s economic development model, energy structure, technological path, production and consumption methods will all undergo profound changes.” Chao Qingchen emphasized In order for companies to remain invincible in the tide of carbon neutrality, they need to transform or open up new markets as soon as possible.
Chao Qingchen said that the transformation process not only contains market opportunities, but also brings shocks and risks to many enterprises and financial institutions. In order to achieve emission reduction targets, governments and other institutions of various countries will introduce policies and measures. For example, the carbon emission quota system and the carbon emission rights trading mechanism have an impact on the production and operation of enterprises, especially putting huge pressure on high-emission and high-energy-consuming enterprises.
In addition, companies are also facing uncertainty brought about by technological changes. “If a company masters certain key core technologies, it can greatly enhance its competitive advantage and industry leadership, otherwise it may be eliminated or face financial losses due to failure to invest in new technologies.”
“Under the background of global carbon neutrality, companies must plan for green and low-carbon transformation as soon as possible to avoid transformation risks.” Chao Qingchen said.
Chao Qingchen pointed out, “Enterprises are the main force in implementing the goal of’carbon peak and carbon neutral’, and policy, technology and capital are the three important aspects of achieving transformation. .Enterprise management should improve scientific understandingAnd policy judgments, grasp the period of transformation opportunities, master information, and avoid various risks such as regulatory laws, reputation, and finance. Look for new business opportunities through technological innovations such as upgrading and innovation, green and low-carbon transformation, and digital informatization. “