UN climate change expert praises China's Greater Bay Area for green innovation

ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations (UN) climate change expert on Monday praised China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for its pioneering role in green innovation and low-carbon development at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31).

Stelios Pesmajoglou, manager of a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Mitigation sub-division, addressed the Guangdong Special Event held at the China Pavilion. He described the region's green innovation as a "forward-looking and truly inspiring commitment."

He commended south China's Guangdong province for steadily advancing carbon market development, exploring the application of carbon footprint management and scaling up climate investment and finance.

For the wider Greater Bay Area, the expert highlighted the work on climate adaptation, including climate-resilient city development and nature-based solutions. He also noted the region's push to deepen cross-regional coordination, translating its accumulated innovation strengths into "replicable and scalable climate actions."

These measures are closely linked and progressive, Pesmajoglou said, ultimately converging into a "Greater Bay Area pathway" for a green and low-carbon transition driven by both institutional and technological innovation.

He expressed hope that the region will continue to contribute "Bay Area solutions" to the global green transition.

COP31, which opened on Monday here, will run through Nov. 20. The gathering has drawn representatives from nearly 200 countries and regions, focusing on shifting climate efforts from setting targets to implementing concrete solutions.