Workers navigate boats to clear floating litter across Cehu national wetland park in Xishui, Central China's Hubei Province, on May 22, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's role in tackling climate change and its efforts to mobilize public participation in addressing climate and environmental issues were highlighted at a UN event in Beijing held on Tuesday ahead of Friday's World Environment Day.

Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) China Office, the 2026 World Environment Day event was held at the UN Embassy Complex in Beijing. Representatives from UN agencies, Chinese government departments, foundations, the private sector, and youth groups attended the event.

In his video message delivered to the event, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the past 11 years have been the hottest on record. The damage caused by climate change extends far beyond rising temperatures, ranging from air pollution and land degradation to ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss. Human health is suffering, homes are being destroyed, and hunger is worsening.

"Every fraction of a degree of warming matters," he said, stressing that the impacts are felt most acutely by the world's most vulnerable populations. "Our task is to keep temperature rise as small, as short, and as low-impact as possible - and then bring temperatures back down quickly."

He emphasized that achieving this goal requires deep and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Wang Qian, officer in charge and head of the UNEP China office, said in a speech at the event that although climate impacts are worsening, solutions are also expanding, and immediate action can help create safer, healthier and more prosperous societies.

Wang added that UNEP has partnered with the Beijing Capital International Airport and the Beijing Subway to carry out offline awareness campaigns, while working with Sina Weibo, China's X-like platform, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's Center for Environmental Education and Communications to launch a Global Climate Dance Challenge to promote climate action among the public.

Pan Xiao, a senior specialist with the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Secretariat, said research by a CCICED team showed that green industries contribute about 24 percent of China's nominal economic growth, accounting for at least one percentage point of the country's 5 percent GDP growth over the past year.

Pan said China's green transition has entered a deeper stage of transformation and will not revert to the traditional energy-intensive development path. He added that CCICED will continue sharing China's experience to help strengthen global confidence in green development.

At the international level, China has also been actively sharing its experience and strategies for achieving low-carbon development and building a green economy with other countries.

The Center for Environmental Education and Communications of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment has long been a co-organizer of the China Pavilion side events at the UN Climate Change Conferences (COP), Yan Shidong, director general from the center, said at the event.

As one of the country's major organizers of climate communication and public engagement activities at successive COP meetings, the center aims to provide the international community with a comprehensive overview of China's progress in climate action and its practices in promoting public participation, said Yan.

As World Environment Day approaches on Friday, cities across China are hosting a range of activities to promote environmental awareness and encourage greener lifestyles.

In Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, primary school students took part in hands-on activities including eco-art collages, ecosystem bottle making, clay crafts and nature printmaking. The event helped students appreciate the beauty of nature while learning about waste sorting, recycling and sustainable living, extending environmental education beyond the classroom.