Senator the Hon. Darcy Boyce, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office,
Mr. Jehu Wiltshire, Permanent Secretary of the Energy Division,
Mr. Xie Ji, Counsel of the Department of Climate Change of the National Development and Reform Commission of China,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning! I am very glad to be invited to attend this handing over ceremony for the goods provided by the Chinese Government to the Barbadian Government for addressing the Climate Change. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister's Office and the Energy Division of Barbados for your thoughtful arrangement. I would also like to thank the delegation from the Department of the Climate Change of NDRC of China for their attendance after the long journey.
Today, all 25,000 LED tubes and 1,000 air conditioning units have been handed over to the Barbadian side. I was told by the Energy Division that this is the largest amount of goods for addressing Climate Change accepted by the Barbadian Government so far. The Chinese side also sent a group of engineers to assist the Barbadian side in installing the equipment and providing technical trainings. All these equipment will be distributed to the government and public institutions such as QEH, BDF, RBPF, Schools and Fire Stations to replace the existing high energy consumption tubes and air conditioners. Only the LED tubes will help these institutions save 800,000 Dollars for their electricity bills annually. We are pleased to provide these equipment to contribute to the energy saving plan and the social development of Barbados.
Handing over and start using these equipment is not only a big step forward of the collaboration between the two countries in the area of addressing Climate Change and promoting sustainable development, but also another proof of the enhancement of friendly bilateral cooperation between China and Barbados.
Currently, addressing Climate Change has become a global challenge confronted by all the countries in the world. As a leader of the SIDS, Barbados has continued to focus on and make strides in developing Green Economy and maintaining sustainable development, and committed to a national target of 50% of power generation from renewable energy by 2020, along with a 22% increase in energy efficiency.
As the largest developing country with 1.3 billion population, and badly influenced by the emission of greenhouse gases, China has always faced up to its responsibility on addressing the Climate Change. On 30th June 2015, China submitted the carbon-curbing plan to UN and pledged that its emissions would peak earlier than 2030, while its carbon emissions per unit of GDP would be reduced by 60%-65% from 2005 levels and the share of non-fossil fuels as part of its primary energy consumption would increase to about 20% by 2030.
In recent years, the collaboration in the area of renewable energy has gradually become an important part of the China-Barbados practical cooperation. Besides the equipment we hand over today, the Chinese side will set up solar power units for the Gafield Sobers Gymnasium in 2016, to optimize its power consumption structure and cut down its electricity costs.
China will continue to cooperate with Developing Countries, including Barbados in the area of addressing the Climate Change through sharing experiences and technologies, supporting capacity building, and aiding equipment. I believe that the bilateral cooperation in this specific area will have more opportunities and bear more fruits.
The Chinese Embassy in Barbados will keep working with the NDRC and other relevant departments of China to enhance the collaborations between the two countries in the area of addressing Climate Change, and promote both countries' sustainable development to benefit the two peoples.
Thank you!