The 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024. China Quality Certification Centre (CQC) participated in several activities at COP29 and jointly released the “International Zero-Carbon Island Cooperation Initiative” and “Sino-US Joint Research Report on Building Material Circularity and Efficiency Improvement (2024)”.

On November 13, 2024, Ding Xuexiang, the Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the launch event of the "International Zero-Carbon Island Cooperation Initiative" held at the China Pavilion of the COP29 conference and delivered a speech. The event was organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Shandong Provincial Government, with support from the Shandong Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, Shandong Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, and Yantai City. President Muizzu of Maldives, Prime Minister Trovoada of São Tomé and Príncipe, Prime Minister Mitchell of Grenada, and Executive Secretary Steiner of the UNFCCC Secretariat attended the event and delivered speeches in succession.

At the meeting, the Yantai government, representing the 32 co-sponsors, released the "International Zero-Carbon Island Cooperation Initiative" (hereinafter referred to as the "Initiative"), and CQC, as a co-sponsor, participated in the release of the "Initiative" on site. The "Initiative" calls on global island stakeholders to protect the ecological environment, reduce climate risks, explore zero-carbon paths, promote green development, and facilitate international cooperation and exchanges on islands by carrying out international zero-carbon island cooperation based on existing consensuses and work achievements, with the goal of sustainable island development.

At the COP28 conference in 2023, Zheng Deyan, Deputy Secretary of the Mayor of Yantai, highlighted the construction of the Changdao International Zero-Carbon Island and the negative-carbon island project, proposing to achieve high-quality construction of the Changdao International Zero-Carbon Island by 2035, realizing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the island. CQC actively participated in the work related to the construction of zero-carbon and negative-carbon islands in Yantai and continues to provide professional third-party services to support Changdao in becoming an international model for zero-carbon island construction.

On November 20, a side event themed "International Practices of Circular Economy in Addressing Climate Change" was held at the China Pavilion of the COP29 conference. Zhao Yingmin, Head of the Chinese Delegation to COP29 and Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, Liu Zhenmin, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Rick Duke, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate of the United States, Nate Hultman, Distinguished Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, Wen Hua, Deputy Director of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission, Kostin Narining, Finland's Ambassador-at-Large for the Southern Caucasus Region, Wang Yi, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Vice Chairman of the National Expert Committee on Climate Change, and officials and experts attended the side event.

With the support and guidance of the Circular Economy Task Force of the Sino-US Climate Action Working Group, the side event released the "Sino-US Joint Research Report on Building Material Circularity and Efficiency Improvement (2024)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), jointly led and compiled by the China Association for Circular Economy, CQC, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with industry associations and business representatives.

To implement the consensus reached during the San Francisco meeting in accordance with the "Sunnylands Declaration on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis" between China and the United States, the Circular Economy Task Force of the Sino-US Climate Action Working Group convened the inaugural Sino-US Circular Economy Expert Dialogue in Beijing in August 2024. Xu Shaoshan, Deputy Managing Director of CQC, was invited to join the Sino-US Circular Economy Expert Group and actively participated in work related to the circular utilization of building materials. The cement industry is a crucial basic industry for both China and the United States, and it is also a significant sector in terms of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The active promotion of optimization, upgrading, and green and low-carbon transformation of the cement industry by China and the United States demonstrates the determination and confidence of both sides in jointly addressing global climate challenges. The Report analyzes the significance of promoting high-quality, green, and low-carbon development in the cement industry, and based on the current development status of the cement industry in China and the United States, it proposes development paths and policy recommendations, which can serve as a reference for major cement-producing countries.

Addressing climate change has become a common mission for the international community and a universal global consensus. In the future, CQC will continue to leverage its professional technical expertise, actively fulfill its social responsibilities, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, and work together with all sectors of society to make positive contributions to global efforts in addressing climate change.