China's Climate Governance: A Greener Planet, Better-off Livelihoods and Enhanced Climate Resilience

BEIJING, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on China's climate governance:

China's Climate Governance: A Greener Planet, Better-off Livelihoods and Enhanced Climate Resilience
https://youtu.be/3fbR9CAlZzs 

This is a robust saxaul tree, known for its extensive root system and its effectiveness in windbreak and sand-control efforts. This is Cistanche deserticola, a precious medicinal herb native to deserts. As a parasitic seed plant, it delivers significant economic benefits. What would happen if the two were grafted together? Could both desertification control and income growth for local communities be achieved?

The answer is yes—and a group of people have already made it a reality.

This desert oasis in Jinta County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, is the hometown where Hu Bing grew up and which has taken on a brand-new look. More than 30 years ago, frequent sandstorms plagued the village on the edge of the Badain Jaran Desert. Young crops and newly sprouted vegetation would be swept away in an instant.

In 2012, Hu, then at the peak of his thriving mining business, witnessed a two-day severe sandstorm ravaging his hometown. He resolved to invest all his savings into desertification control. With support from the local government, he founded the Desert Agriculture and Forestry Ecological Industry Company, pouring funds equivalent to two tons of gold into the desert industry.

"Aren't you just throwing money away?" Faced with doubts from others, Hu stuck to his cause for over a decade and invested over one billion yuan in total. Gradually, the company upgraded its desert control technologies. Traditional manual planting and pre-irrigation methods were replaced by four generations of self-developed mechanized sand-control equipment. The industrial chain also expanded, combining wind prevention, sand fixation and desert-based industries. The most iconic example is grafting saxaul trees with Cistanche deserticola. After three years of taking root and another three years of growth, the first batch of Cistanche deserticola was finally harvested in the winter of 2023. The following year, total sales of Cistanche deserticola products exceeded 80 million yuan, creating about 1,500 seasonal jobs for local farmers and over 200 deep-processing positions. That same year, the forested area in Jinta County reached 1.5214 million mu (about 101,427 hectares), and forest coverage rose from 0.58% in 1983 to 4.67%.

Jinta County has turned green and prosperous.

This is far from an isolated case. With the continuous advancement of scientific desertification control, encouraging changes are unfolding across China's most severely desertified regions. The once-barren Ulan Buh Desert has evolved into a granary on China's northern frontier. A 3,046-kilometer "green belt" wraps around the Taklamakan Desert. Alongside the greenery, Xinjiang's desert-encircled Hotan Prefecture has fostered a diversified desert rose industry, alongside innovative development models like integrating photovoltaic power, sand control and modern agriculture. These efforts have not only greened vast desert lands, but also strengthened China's agricultural resilience to climate change.

At the recently concluded forum "Sci-tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2026 Climate Resilience and Green Transition," UN Resident Coordinator in China Stephen Jackson said

Someone once asked Hu whether it was worthwhile spending huge sums of money on sand control.

"Turning cold, lifeless sand into lush forests and vibrant green lands—how could that not be worthwhile?" Hu replied.

That's also China's answer to the world.

SOURCE China.org.cn