WBCSD Participates in Side Event at COP30 China Pavilion Hosted by State Grid 

On November 13, during the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Belém, Brazil, the State Grid Corporation of China successfully hosted a thematic side event for the first time at the conference’s China Pavilion. The event focused on “Building a New Power System and Advancing the Green, Low-Carbon Transition.” Mr. Dominic Waughray, Executive Vice President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), was invited to attend and moderated the roundtable dialogue session.

Leveraging the COP30 platform, the side event comprehensively showcased to the world State Grid’s measures and achievements in actively addressing climate change and promoting the concept of green, low-carbon living. It highlighted the power grid’s role in facilitating the green, low-carbon transition of energy and advancing the realization of China’s “Dual Carbon” goals, presenting a Chinese model for other countries’ energy transitions.

The side event brought together distinguished guests from the fields of global climate governance and energy. Mr. Li Gao, Head of the Chinese Delegation to COP30 and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Mr. Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Mr. Ji Mingbin, Vice President of State Grid, delivered opening remarks. Mr. Carmelo, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), delivered a speech and gave a keynote address. Academician Shu Yinbiao of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Mr. Sandoval Feitosa, Chairman of the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency, and Mr. Ouyang Changyu, Primary Advisor of State Grid, delivered keynote speeches either on-site or via video.

Mr. Li Gao congratulated the event and pointed out that China has always been an active participant and important contributor to global climate governance. The high-quality, low-cost clean energy technologies and products provided by China have significantly reduced the cost of the global green, low-carbon transition. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is willing to engage in practical cooperation with all parties to jointly build a clean and beautiful world and contribute to building a shared future for humanity. Mr. Liu Zhenmin stated in his speech that China has supported an average economic growth of over 6% with an average annual energy consumption growth of 3.4%, becoming one of the countries with the fastest decline in energy intensity globally. Looking ahead, China will continue to steadfastly implement its national strategy for actively addressing climate change and jointly promote global energy transition and green development. Mr. Carmelo expressed that the global energy transition has moved from consensus to action. China has built the world’s largest renewable energy system, continuously increased investment in energy infrastructure, and enhanced the digitalization and smartification of its energy system, providing a replicable model for global transition. Mr. Ji Mingbin stated that State Grid always considers “Empowering Better Living and Promoting Energy Revolution” as its mission and is willing to work hand-in-hand with peers worldwide to promote the establishment of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system, contributing more significantly to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and sustainable human development.

WBCSD Moderates Roundtable Dialogue Focusing on Green Trade and Carbon Accounting Harmonization

During the roundtable dialogue session of the side event, WBCSD Executive Vice President Dominic Waughray moderated a discussion centered on “Green Trade and Carbon Accounting.” Participants pointed out that electricity carbon accounting and carbon markets are indispensable supporting tools for global climate governance. The dialogue emphasized the urgency of accelerating the harmonization of international rules for electricity carbon accounting, identifying this as key to breaking down potential green trade barriers and promoting a fair global transition.

In another roundtable dialogue themed “Emission Reduction, Decarbonization, and Ecological Environmental Protection,” participants highly appreciated China’s achievements in areas such as clean energy services and advanced manufacturing. They viewed China’s “location-specific” transition pathways and its direction for international cooperation as not only providing practical and referential solutions for fossil-fuel-dependent countries but also embodying the principle of “fairness” in the global energy transition.

Continuous Empowerment: WBCSD Supports State Grid in Promoting International Exchange on Electricity Carbon Emission Factors

As global climate governance deepens, electricity has become crucial for the comprehensive green transition of global economic and social development. Accurate accounting of electricity carbon emissions is the foundation and prerequisite for achieving decarbonization targets. During the side event, State Grid, jointly with 51 enterprises and institutions, launched the Brazil Initiative on Global Time-and-Location-differentiated Electricity Carbon Emission Factors. This initiative calls on international organizations, certification bodies, multinational corporations, and databases worldwide to actively engage in the research, calculation, and practical application of time-and-location-differentiated electricity carbon emission factors.

It is understood that time-and-location-differentiated electricity carbon emission factors can timely and accurately reflect the differentiated value of clean energy across temporal and spatial dimensions. This promotes electricity consumption during low-carbon periods, facilitates the integration of new energy, reduces product carbon footprints, and achieves structural carbon reduction across society without increasing total electricity supply. The Brazil Initiative aims to build a more granular, transparent, and equitable electricity carbon accounting system, ensuring the accurate recognition of the value of every kilowatt-hour of electricity and the scientific quantification of every low-carbon choice. Driven by State Grid, these electricity carbon emission factors have already been promoted in several Chinese provinces, including Jiangsu, Hubei, Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang.

WBCSD expressed high appreciation and support for this initiative and is currently working closely with State Grid to actively promote international exchange and capacity building in the field of electricity carbon emission factors. By organizing international seminars, sharing best practice cases, and facilitating dialogues among multinational corporations, WBCSD is committed to disseminating China’s advanced experience in the calculation and application of electricity carbon emission factors to its global network of member companies. This helps global enterprises enhance the accuracy of their supply chain carbon emission management and contributes business expertise to establishing internationally recognized accounting standards.

Faced with increasingly urgent climate challenges, no single country or institution can succeed alone. This event at the COP30 China Pavilion once again demonstrated that addressing climate change requires the joint efforts of governments, international organizations, and the business community. The technical solutions and ambitious initiatives showcased by leading Chinese enterprises like State Grid have injected strong “Chinese momentum” into the global energy transition. Through bidirectional empowerment, WBCSD builds bridges between introducing international sustainability standards and assisting leading Chinese enterprises in contributing to global governance, thereby building consensus and promoting win-win cooperation in global climate governance.