Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
U.S., China Share Common Goals on Climate
It is not uncommon for the United States and the People's Republic of China to stand on opposing sides of many an issue. But when it comes to climate change, the two countries agree that it is a global existential threat. As the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, they must address the problem together.
“We agreed to work together towards ambitious and agreed outcomes at COP28, at the IMO, IKO, at the Montreal Protocol, and in other international fora. And we both committed to make best efforts to try to keep 1.5 degrees as the limit of the warming, to keep that within reach,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
“The intensity and sense of urgency has grown for everybody,” said Special Envoy Kerry. “I think China is greatly seized by this issue.”
“China has produced more renewable energy, more solar and wind than any other country in the world. They have deployed more of it … than the rest of the world put together. And they are pursuing a very aggressive renewable strategy to try to ultimately reduce their emissions,” he said.
Nonetheless the fact remains that China has continued to build new coal plants. But if the goals of the Paris climate agreement are to be met, all coal-fired plants must cease operations by 2040 and no new ones can come online. So, coal is a significant issue up for discussion in the near future, said Mr. Kerry.
“China fully understands the challenge of moving away from coal dependency, unabated coal dependency, and trying to harness the best energies of the new energy economy of the future. But that’s a big job, and we all understand it.”
Both countries are working on finding ways to accelerate that transition away from coal. But the question remains, said Special Envoy Kelly, “how do we all help accelerate a transition in a way that doesn’t cripple an economy or reduce people’s ability to use some of the things they need today? We think there’s great opportunity in our doing that together, and that will be part of our conversation going forward.”
"Further engagements,” said Mr. Kerry during a press conference, “should help unlock more ambition in reducing coal consumption, cutting methane emissions, and beating a path towards a stronger outcome at [the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference], the COP28.”