On September 5, Liu Yanhua, honorary director of the National Expert Committee on Climate Change and former vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, pointed out at the 2022 CIFTIS - Energy Security and Green and Low-carbon Development Theme Forum that the epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have made the international community prioritize energy security over low-carbon energy transformation in the short term, but at the same time stimulated the competition within the field of green energy technology and market dominance.

On the same day, the 2022 CIFTIS - Energy Security and Green and Low-carbon Development Theme Forum hosted by the International Green Economy Association was held at the National Convention Center, where Liu Yanhua, academicians, experts and leading enterprises within the field gathered together to discuss energy supply security and green/ low-carbon transformation and development under the "dual carbon" goal.

In her keynote speech, Liu Yanhua put forward four pre-judgments and important views on carbon neutrality and green / low-carbon development of energy.

First of all carbon neutrality depends to a large extent on technological breakthroughs.

Secondly the epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have stimulated global competition in green/ low-carbon technologies and market capture.

Moreover, the main direction of the new energy system should be distributive, diverse and complementary. It is necessary to carry out all-round innovation including power systems and institutional mechanisms.

Lastly, enterprises in all regions and industries should find a development orientation in the "Implementation Plan for Science and Technology to Support Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" and actively implement it.

Liu Yanhua said: "Under the situation of the new crown epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, some countries have shown that energy security may be a higher priority on the two issues of low-carbon development and energy security. Some EU countries have proposed to restore coal power and prepare to harvest firewood for wintering; The United States is a country rich in oil and gas resources, hence benefit from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict by supplying its energy, foreign press predict that the United States new energy development momentum is insufficient, at the same time the United States proposed to return to secondary industries, may their energy development will also slow down. But this is not the case. We should note that the EU has made it clear that it will take a few years to get out of the downward spiral as soon as possible, and they have comprehensively accelerated the investment and production capacity of green energy; The recently passed "Inflation Act" and "New Energy Act" in the United States will invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the construction of green energy, and propose to greatly increase the proportion of renewable energy in the near future, that is, accelerate the production capacity of renewable energy. It can be seen from this that the EU's step back is temporary and recent. In the long run, it has stimulated the acceleration of renewable energy transformation, and the United States has also accelerated the layout of new energy technologies and international markets with various bills and actions.

Therefore, although the epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine made countries prioritise energy supply security as a matter of urgency internationally. These events stimulated the competition in global energy green/ low-carbon technologies and international markets, and the global path to climate change and low-carbon energy transformation is irreversible. The competition for low-carbon technologies is becoming more and more fierce and faster, and a contest on green energy production capacity and market has been fully launched. The occupation of new technologies and new international markets should be synchronized, and we must accelerate low-carbon technology innovation and production capacity of renewable energy.

Liu Yanhua also pointed out that promoting low-carbon development to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality is mainly through three ways: reduction, efficiency improvement and substitution. So far, no single technology has fully solved the energy transition problem. Disruptive technological breakthroughs are needed to meet energy security and growing energy demand, as well as the recycling of greenhouse gases. That's why we have to innovate. Through innovation, the problem of carbon neutrality can be solved. We should incentivize, encourage and support all innovations.