A world leading meteorologist said Wednesday that it's in China's long-term interests to develop its domestic carbon-trading market.

"The domestic carbon trade is an irresistible trend, and we should start early, so as to gain a bigger international voice," said Professor Chen Deliang, executive director of the International Council for Science (ISCU), at an international forum on climate change held in Beijing.

The three-day forum that started Wednesday was jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the World Meteorological Organization, under the theme of climate and environmental challenges for developing countries.

"In the short-term, such policies will affect the profits of local carbon-intensive industries," said Chen, former science director of the National Climate Center.

"But it pushes Chinese enterprises to shake off their dependence on fossil fuels and adopt cleaner energy," he added.

The CTW Forum has been held annually since 2000, and is aimed at rallying high-level mathematicians, physicists, atmospheric and oceanic scientists for discussions on problems associated with climate change.

This year, experts from over 25 countries, mostly developing countries, convened in Beijing.

Zeng Xiaodong, a researcher from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes the forum is an important means for developing countries to exchange ideas before the Cancun International Climate Conference in Mexico, which will begin later this month.

Source: Xinhua
2010-11-18