A view of ocean Photo: VCG

China's environmental authority vowed on Thursday to promote the capability of carbon sinks in the ocean as a key part of the country's efforts to confront climate change and fulfill its goals to achieve carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) has been urging local governments to accelerate ecological restoration of oceanic ecology and organizing monitoring and evaluation on carbon sinks in the ocean, said Zhang Zhifeng, vice director at the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment under MEE at press conference on Thursday.

Zhang noted that steadily strengthening the capability of the ocean's carbon sinks is the key stepto realize China's carbon goals.

At the press conference, Zhang also indicated that the surface temperature of China's offshore sea is also showing a significant upward trend as the global climate change has been leading to the increase of sea water temperatures in past years.

The country vowed to apply the function of carbon fixation in forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, soils, and frozen soils and increase carbon sinks in the ecosystem.

Over the next five years, China will also improve its measuring and monitoring of carbon sinks, promote carbon sink trading, and explore ways to build a platform for forest and grassland carbon sink trading, the Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

China plans to plant 500 million mu (about 33.33 million hectares) of forests and grasslands in the next five years - 100 million mu per year -- to help achieve its carbon emission reduction goals, according to the country's forestry authorities on Tuesday.