The United States and China have come to a groundbreaking climate agreement to tackle the goal of reducing emissions. The agreement was settled at the Cop26 climate summit.
As two of the greatest emitters across the globe, the joining of the two nations under a joint declaration could make a world of difference for slowing the effects of climate change. Under the agreement, the two nations will initiate regular meetings to address the climate crisis.
According to the joint declaration, the two governments hope to “focus… on enhancing concrete actions in this decade”. This is substantial after recent criticisms, notably from the Climate Analysis Tracker, that the decisions made at Cop26 would do little to help reduce emissions.
Relations between the United States and China have been rocky over the years, making their decision to unite even more monumental. They will work together to achieve the goal set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement—to reduce global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
The US and China have agreed in their joint declaration to cooperate on a myriad of climate actions. From reducing greenhouse gases, to transitioning to clean energy, to promoting decarbonisation, the two nations have set some hefty climate goals.
According to US climate envoy John Kerry, the joint declaration largely builds upon an agreement made between the two countries in April.
“The United States and China have no shortage of differences, but on climate, cooperation is the only way to get this job done. This is not a discretionary thing, frankly. This is science. It’s maths and physics that dictate the road that we have to travel,” Mr Kerry said.
“Climate change is a challenge, a common challenge, faced by humanity,” said chief climate negotiator for China, Xie Zhenhua.
“It bears on the wellbeing of future generations. Now, climate change is becoming increasingly urgent and severe, making it a future challenge into an existential crisis. In the area of climate change, there is more agreement between China and the US than divergence,” said Zhenhua.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a virtual meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the issues further.
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