U.S. and China Agree to Take Joint Climate Action
Despite an increasingly tense relationship, the U.S. and China agreed Saturday to work together to tackle global climate change, including by "raising ambition" for emissions cuts during the 2020s — a key goal of the Biden administration.
Why it matters: The joint communique released Saturday evening commits the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases to work together to keep the most ambitious temperature target contained in the Paris Climate Agreement viable by potentially taking additional emissions cuts prior to 2030.
In addition, the document leaves open the possibility that the U.S. and China can act jointly on climate change while having strong disagreements on trade, technology, and national security issues, though how far this cooperation can extend remains to be seen.
Ahead of negotiations in Shanghai between John Kerry, President Biden's special envoy for climate, and Xie Zhenhua, his Chinese counterpart, the State Department had worked to downplay expectations.
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Why it matters: The joint communique released Saturday evening commits the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases to work together to keep the most ambitious temperature target contained in the Paris Climate Agreement viable by potentially taking additional emissions cuts prior to 2030.
In addition, the document leaves open the possibility that the U.S. and China can act jointly on climate change while having strong disagreements on trade, technology, and national security issues, though how far this cooperation can extend remains to be seen.
Ahead of negotiations in Shanghai between John Kerry, President Biden's special envoy for climate, and Xie Zhenhua, his Chinese counterpart, the State Department had worked to downplay expectations.
Click Here to read more.