•  
  •  
 

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Keywords

the Belt and Road Initiative, technology needs assessment, technology transfer, South-South cooperation, climate change

Document Type

Research on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation of Major Countries along the Belt and Road

Abstract

Belt and Road countries and regions have increasingly recognized the urgent need for climate mitigation and adaptation in order to achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Transferring and disseminating climate technologies are effective ways in which developing countries in the region can enhance their capacity to address the challenges of climate change. This study assesses the characteristics of climate change technology needed in Belt and Road countries and regions, based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) report as well as the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system. It identifies and analyzes the priority needs for mitigation and adaptation technology needs in different areas. Results shows that climate technologies are in high demand in the Belt and Road region. A total of 726 climate technologies are included in the TNAs of 66 Belt and Road countries and regions, of which 262 are mitigation technologies and 464 are adaptation technologies. Almost all countries prioritize renewable energy for electricity generation (Y02E-10) for mitigation, with 135 technologies listed, covering Gross Domestic Production (GDP) of $5.3 trillion and a population of 1.9 billion. The most urgent need for adaptation technology is in agriculture, forestry, livestock, and fisheries production (Y02A-40), with 48 countries claiming 234 technologies for adaptation across this sector, covering $3.8 trillion in GDP and 1.61 billion in population. There is a high degree of heterogeneity in mitigation technology demands across regions. African countries are most in need of renewable energy generation technologies (Y02E-10), non-fossil fuel technologies (Y02E-50), and mitigation technologies for the land sector (Y02A-60). Asian countries are most interested in renewable energy generation and combustion technologies (Y02E-20), while Latin American and Oceania are most interested in mitigation technologies for road transport (Y02T-10). There is a high degree of commonality in the adaptation technology needs of all regions, with the priority needs of each region being primarily for adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishery production (Y02A-40) and technologies for harvesting, conserving, and efficiently using water (Y02A-20). In order to promote South-South technology cooperation between China and BRI developing countries, the proposed suggestions include: (1) better matching the technology supply by China with the demands in BRI countries and regions; (2) enhancing the transparency of technology information in China through various measures; (3) strengthening country-specific studies on climate technology needs and transfer strategy for BRI countries.

First page

1387

Last Page

1397

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

References

1 Cui R, Gu B, Lou J, et al. Facilitate high-quality sustainable growth through a low-carbon transition in the Belt and Road Initiative countries. (2022-10-26)[2023-02-01]. https://cgs.umd.edu/sites/default/files/2022-10/UMD-CGS-LowCarbonBRI-PolicyBrief-Oct2022-EN_1.pdf.

2 Chen Y W, Fan Z J, Zhang J E, et al. Does the connectivity of the Belt and Road Initiative contribute to the economic growth of the Belt and Road countries?. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 2019, 55(14): 3227-3240.

3 Liu A L, Lu C C, Wang Z X. The roles of cultural and institutional distance in international trade: Evidence from China’s trade with the Belt and Road countries. China Economic Review, 2020, 61: 101234.

4 Hillman J, Sacks D. China’s Belt and Road: Implications for the United States. Council on Foreign Relations. (2021-05-04)[2023-02-01]. https://www.cfr.org/report/chinas-belt-and-road-implications-for-the-united-states/findings.

5 The World Bank. Belt and Road economics: Opportunities and risks of transport corridors. (2019-06-18)[2023-02-01]. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/regional-integration/publication/belt-and-road-economics-opportunities-and-risks-of-transport-corridors.

6 刘强, 邓旭, 王博文, 等. “一带一路”沿线国家能源部门气候变化减缓技术需求评估. 西北大学学报(自然科学版), 2021, 51(4): 675-683. Liu Q, Deng X, Wang B W, et al. Climate change mitigation technology needs assessment for energy sector in countries along the Belt and Road. Journal of Northwest University (Natural Science Edition), 2021, 51(4): 675-683. (in Chinese)

7 Zhang L, Chen M P, Teng F, et al. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation and ecosystem adaptation along Belt and Road Initiative. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2021, 7(1): 1868272.

8 陈敏鹏, 李玉婷, 代晶晶. 气候变化对“一带一路”主要地区的影响及其适应技术需求. 西北大学学报(自然科学版), 2021, 51(4): 643-654. Chen M P, Li Y T, Dai J J. Climate change impacts on major regions along the Belt and Road and technology need for adaptation. Journal of Northwest University (Natural Science Edition), 2021, 51(4): 643-654. (in Chinese)

9 高美勋, 陈敏鹏, 滕飞. “一带一路”沿线国家适应气候变化的技术需求评估. 气候变化研究进展, 2022, 18(6): 731-742. Gao M X, Chen M P, Teng F. Technology Needs Assessment for adaptation to climate change in the Belt and Road countries. Climate Change Research, 2022, 18(6): 731-742. (in Chinese)

10 United Nations Environment Programme. Adaptation gap report 2021: The gathering storm. (2021-11-04) [2023-02-01]. https://www.unep.org/adaptation-gap-report-2021.

11 United Nations Environment Programme. Adaptation gap report 2022: Too little, too slow. (2022-11-03). [2023-02-01]. https://www.unep.org/adaptation-gap-report-2022.

12 Olawuyi D S. From technology transfer to technology absorption: Addressing climate technology gaps in Africa. Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, 2018, 36(1): 61-84.

13 De Coninck H, Sagar A. Making sense of policy for climate technology development and transfer. Climate Policy, 2015, 15(1): 1-11.

14 Rimmer M. The Paris agreement: Intellectual property, technology transfer, and climate change. Intellectual Property and Clean Energy, 2018: 33–67.

15 张志强, 杨雅茹, 母广伟, 等. 积极参与和引领应对气候变化南南合作:现状、问题与对策. 环境经济研究, 2022, 7(1): 26-35. Zhang Z Q, Yang Y, Mu G W, et al. Actively Participate and Lead the South-South Cooperation on Climate Change: Situation, Problem and Countermeasures. Journal of Environmental Economics, 2022, 7(1): 26-35. (in Chinese)

16 Liu Q A, Deng X, Wang B W, et al. An evaluation of the priority mitigation technology needs of Belt and Road Initiative developing countries. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2023, 9: 0026.

17 Chai Q M, Fu S, Wen X Y. Modeling the implementation of NDCs and the scenarios below 2℃ for the Belt and Road countries. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2020, 6(1): 1766998.

18 张井勇, 庄园煌, 李超凡, 等. “一带一路”主要地区气候变化与极端事件时空特征研究. 北京: 气象出版社, 2018. Zhang J Y, Zhuang Y H, Li C F, et al. Temporal and Spatial Analyses of Climate Change and Extreme Events over Major Areas of the Belt and Road. Beijing: Meteorological Publishing House, 2018. (in Chinese)

19 Zhang K, Liang Q M. Recent progress of cooperation on climate mitigation: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020, 277: 123495.

20 Chen M P, Zhang L, Teng F, et al. Climate technology transfer in BRI era: Needs, priorities, and barriers from receivers’ perspective. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 2020, 6(1): 1780948.

21 代晶晶. 中国喷滴灌技术竞争力评估分析. 北京: 中国人民大学, 2021. DAI J J. Technical competitive assessment of Chinese sprinkler and drip irrigation. Beijing: Renmin University of China, 2021. (in Chinese)

Share

COinS