by Xinhua writer Zhong Ya
GAOBEIDIAN, China, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's rapid development of green technologies is helping accelerate the global transition toward a low-carbon future, said an environment expert.
"Green energy transition and related industries have become an important part of the Chinese economy," said Diana Urge-Vorsatz, a professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Central European University in Vienna.
Urge-Vorsatz, also the vice chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made the remarks in the northern city of Gaobeidian during the Gaobeidian International Green, Smart and Healthy Buildings Expo and the third International Conference on Zero-Carbon Urban-Rural Development and Zero-Carbon Buildings.
The three-day expo brought together companies from more than 50 countries and featured more than 30 seminars on green and smart buildings.
In her fourth visit to Gaobeidian, Urge-Vorsatz said China was making significant progress year by year, with its green transition evident in high-speed railways, new-energy vehicles, photovoltaic equipment and green buildings.
"High technology plays a key role in reducing carbon emissions," she said, adding that artificial intelligence is helping develop systemic solutions to cut emissions and address challenges posed by extreme weather and conflicts.
She noted that China "has really brought down the cost curve of renewable energy for other countries in the world."
Official data showed that during the 2021-2025 period, wind power and photovoltaic products China exported helped reduce around 4.1 billion tons of carbon emissions in other countries.
"This is really helping the global transformation to a healthier and greener planet. Genuinely, China can play a major catalytic role in the green transformation," she said, noting that solar power requires relatively modest investment and is accessible to households, helping accelerate the shift to clean energy.
Citing her home country as an example, Urge-Vorsatz said Hungary "has achieved a sixfold increase in photovoltaic power in just five years, which was really enabled by this revolution that China has catalyzed."
She said China is advancing green technologies across sectors, from wind and solar power to battery storage, electric vehicles and net-zero or energy-plus buildings.
"China is a very important player in the global climate scene," the scholar said, adding that the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) demonstrates its advantages in long-term planning and in charting a scientifically sound path toward carbon neutrality.
As a major global player, China's efforts to fulfill its green commitments could also encourage other countries to join the effort, she noted.
China's strong technical engineering expertise, manufacturing capacities, comprehensive supply chains and abundant resources put it in a unique position to accelerate the green transformation of industries, Urge-Vorsatz said.
Despite the challenges the world faces to reduce carbon emissions, "real results will come when nations cooperate, trust each other and work together, just like at this conference," she added. ■
