Climate Change is the most pressing issue of our time. 

During the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, CGTN America has launched its annual Global Action Initiative event with an extensive focus this year on the dangers of climate change and possible solutions. 

Policy-makers, youth climate activists and industry experts from around the world will discuss challenges, showcase positive outcomes and explore innovative solutions. Keynote speakers and panelists include President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdottir, and senior officials from IMF, World Bank and UN. 

Shen Haixiong, President of China Media Group (CMG) addressed the opening session of GAI 2021 on China's efforts to fight climate change. Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States also answered questions from Chinese and American students on the responsibilities of countries and international cooperation in tackling climate change.

"If we do not fail nature, nature will not fail us," Shen Haixiong, President of CMG said in his speech. He called on media professionals to take responsibility in global climate action, raise public awareness to construct ecological civilization. Shen also said that China is an important contributor and active practitioner of the Paris Agreement. The global climate crisis has sounded alarms to the world, and it is more urgent to promote building a global community with a shared future for mankind.

Julius Maada, President of Sierra Leone, said in a video speech that climate change is a global crisis faced by all mankind, and the world needs to unite in response to this challenge. As the climate crisis continues to intensify, the problem of "climate refugees" has intensified. Developing countries, including Sierra Leone, are most affected by the climate crisis. He called for more international cooperation in tackling climate change and emphasized that multilateralism must be adhered to, and problems such as poverty, violence, and social injustice must be addressed at the same time.

Katrín Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland said in her speech that climate actions can actually start from maintaining sustainable lifestyles. Human beings can reverse the trend of climate change through their own efforts.

Yasmine Fouad, Egyptian Environment Minister, said that the impact of climate change on her country is very serious, whether it is the erosion of the coastline or the impact on agriculture. Although Egypt is not a major greenhouse gas emitter in the world, it still suffers from the severe impact of the climate crisis.

Gustavo Manrique, Minister of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador, introduced Ecuador's efforts in tackling climate change. Manrique called on all countries to join hands so as not to miss the best time to tackle climate change.

To cope with the global climate crisis, international cooperation is indispensable. China-U.S. climate cooperation has always been regarded as a key area of global climate action. Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, answers questions about climate change from American and Chinese students. He also talked about China's carbon neutrality goals, as well as a series of action plans to address climate crisis. 

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