Ex-French PM calls for China-Europe unity to combat climate change

The world needs multilateralism to tackle climate change, and such efforts cannot succeed without a close link and joint efforts between China and Europe, France's former prime minister Laurent Fabius said on Saturday.

Fabius, who also served as president of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, or COP21, made the remarks at an event held at the Shanghai Campus of the China Europe International Business School.

Climate change is a defining issue for both humanity and the China-Europe relationship, he said. Despite certain differences, both sides share fundamental interests, and it is crucial that they work together to advance multilateral efforts in tackling climate change, he added.

"Climate diplomacy is essential because of the nature of the challenge itself. Climate change is a shared global reality: international, interdisciplinary and intergenerational. The choices we make today, or fail to make, will have lasting consequences for generations to come."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, reached at COP21. It is widely agreed that the pact has established both an ambitious vision and a solid framework for addressing climate change, while also offering a paradigm for effective multilateralism.

Fabius highlighted the fact that the Paris Agreement not only set a target for limiting the rise in global temperatures, but also established the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in the second half of this century.

Reaffirming the respect for climate diplomacy, he underscored the importance of the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in the agreement, given the different development levels of each country.

As the world's two important economies, both China and the European Union are taking active climate actions. China vows to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while the EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050.

Wang Hong, president of the China Europe International Business School, said climate change is one of the key areas in which China-Europe cooperation holds the greatest potential, as both sides have shown strategic commitment in climate governance.

Ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, its implementation remains challenging in the current global context. Fabius warned that climate change will profoundly affect society, the world economy and geopolitical relations, with the main consequences including increasing frequency of natural disasters, rising sea levels, extinction of species and rising global poverty.

"This may give rise to problems of malnutrition, infant mortality, lack of housing, lack of electricity supply, and lack of educational opportunities," he said.

Key factors

Looking back on the success of COP21, Fabius summarized the key factors as science, society and states.

In 2015, the scientific community played a crucial role in shaping understanding and building confidence around climate data and projections. Societal actors, including institutions, individuals and the business community, all helped steer the agreement in the right direction. And major governments, including China, the United States, Europe, India and Russia, all demonstrated a willingness to cooperate on climate action.

Fabius particularly paid tribute to the efforts and support from the Chinese delegation in achieving the Paris Agreement.

While looking ahead to the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil next month, Fabius called for "implementation, inclusion and innovation". He emphasized the need to move from framework to concrete results to ensure national commitments translate into real progress, urging broader participation from more diverse sectors and stronger links between climate, biodiversity and anti-deforestation agendas.

He also underscored the growing role of legal and institutional tools in advancing climate accountability, adding that China is playing an increasingly active role in this evolving landscape. "On this subject (of climate change), China and Europe are going together and they must go together," he said.