Chongqing- Climate change will affect all aspects of the economy and society, including employment, health, and food security, said Tan Zhixiong, Professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University.
Tan said Okun's Law in economics talks about the relationship between carbon emissions and employment from the perspective of fighting climate change.
Some scholars have found that for every 1% reduction in carbon emissions, the number of employees may drop by 0.1%.
"In the short term, each country may reduce or restrict industrial development, which will lead to a relative reduction in employment in some regions," said Tan.
"In the long term, we need to consider the factors such as the level of economic development and industrial structure of each place, including its foreign dependency and energy structure," he continued.
Tan Zhixiong, Professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University. (Photo/ Chongqing University)
From the perspective of increasing employment, many countries may increase investment in the forestry field under the dual pressure of climate warming and economic recession, including forest carbon sinks, which play an important role in promoting the green employment of forestry.
Regarding the impact of climate change on food security, Tan thinks there have been many extreme climate changes in recent years, some of which may cause an increase in pests, diseases, and losses like flooding and high temperatures.
Building a community with a shared future for humanity, global climate change poses severe challenges to the civilization of human society. In Tan's eyes, addressing climate change is one of the areas with the highest degree of consensus worldwide.
Different countries have always regarded combating climate change as a common value to build a community with a shared future for mankind, while China has been gathering the strengths of all countries and working together to respond to global climate change.
"In this process, we have paid a lot of practical actions," he said. "More importantly, we have provided some good carriers and cooperation platforms for global climate change."