Group photo of the Climate Solver award-winners at the Low-carbon Transformation and Innovation Forum, 2015-2016 Climate Solver Awarding Ceremony in Beijing on April 27, 2016. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Li Chenxi]

The World Wide Fund for Nature in China has announced the five winners of this year's Climate Solver Award.

The award itself recognizes small and medium-sized companies in China that have taken steps to reduce their carbon emissions or increase energy output through environmentally-friendly means.

The five award-winners this year are involved in solar energy, the production of renewable construction material, energy-saving in data storage systems and food waste recycling.

Its estimated the projects the five winners have developed will cut carbon emissions across China by around 2 tons by 2025.

World Wide Fund for Nature China Director Lo Sze Ping says the awards fit with the Chinese government's current plans for the economy.

"As China is adapting into the 'new normal', the country has entered into a transformation and upgrading period. Innovation will be the driving force of economic growth, and this will be a critical opportunity for both China and the world. The innovation and breakthrough in low-carbon technology will push forward this transformation."

Of the nearly 330 billion US dollars invested in renewable energy worldwide last year, about one-third has been spent in China.

Xu Qinghua, head of the China Council for International Cooperation on the Environment and Development, says increasing innovation has a dual-track goal.

"Tackling both climate change and China's economic transformation is an important part of the government's Innovation-driven Development Strategy. It not only contributes to the global climate change efforts, but also promotes China's national transformation and international technological competitiveness."

The Climate Solver Award comes on the heels of China signing-on to the Paris Climate Change Agreement at the United Nations last week.

Chinese authorities hope to have the deal ratified and implemented in China by September.

Among the agreements Chinese authorities have made is a pledge to cut emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.

Stefan Henningsson, Senior advisor for Climate Innovation with the World Wide Fund for Nature, says China's commitment to the Paris Agreement should provide a lot of opportunities for people hoping to make money through helping reduce climate change.

"The Paris Agreement, that all the countries committed to reduce emission, to increase renewable energy, is very important to the climate solver companies. If China has the ambition to reduce emission increases, which is also the need to do in Europe and the US to stay below 2 degrees, then that would provide a market for these Chinese climate solvers. That is an advantage for the Chinese companies, economically, that is an advantage for them of their growth in order to take on the market outside of China as well."

Climate Solver China, a program launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature 4-years ago, not only honors small and medium-sized companies for their innovations.

It also provides financing, technology information and international cooperation support to the 20 companies which have now won the award.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan