A consultant advising the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change emphasized the critical nature of global collaboration in addressing climate change during a climate conference in London. Arvea Marieni, speaking at the London Climate Technology Show, stressed that the current moment represents a “make or break” point for collective action against climate change and urged the European Union (EU) and China to collaborate on advancing the global energy transition.
Marieni underscored that without significantly improved collective action, progress in addressing climate change will be severely hindered. She particularly highlighted China’s prominent role in the solar energy supply chain and proposed that an exchange of information and collaboration between the EU and China would be mutually beneficial, leading to technological advancements in both economies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently criticized what she perceived as unfair practices by China in the realm of climate action technologies in her EU State of the Union speech. She specifically mentioned the impact of China’s actions on the EU’s solar industry, noting that many EU businesses had struggled against heavily subsidized Chinese competitors, with some even facing bankruptcy.
During a panel discussion at the climate conference, Marieni pointed out that the EU’s current challenges in the solar sector could be attributed to past policy decisions, particularly during the 2010s, which affected the competitiveness of the domestic market. She acknowledged that China had capitalized on the solar boom in a manner that Europe had not.
Von der Leyen also raised concerns about China’s domination of global electric vehicle (EV) supply chains, highlighting that the market had become “flooded” with more affordable Chinese electric cars due to “artificially low” prices maintained by unmatched state subsidies. These developments emphasize the growing importance of international cooperation and competitive strategies in the context of climate action and green technologies.
