A China – United States agreement to “strengthen climate action”

China and the United States have concluded a “joint declaration on strengthening climate action,” Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua announced Wednesday in Glasgow (UK).

“Both sides recognize the gap between current efforts and the Paris Agreement goals, so we will jointly strengthen climate action,” the Chinese official told the press at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. , in Scotland.

The agreement “shows that cooperation is the only way for China and the United States,” Xie said, as tensions between the two countries recently seemed to spill over into the climate diplomacy file.

China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the United States is the second.

“Take responsibility”

US President Joe Biden, who came to Glasgow at the start of the conference last week, called the absence at COP26 of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a “big mistake”.

“As the two main world powers, China and the United States must take responsibility for working together and with other parties to combat climate change,” the Chinese envoy said.

US climate envoy John Kerry was due to speak shortly after his Chinese counterpart.

The Glasgow climate conference is considered crucial, as the world finds itself according to the UN on a “catastrophic” trajectory of warming to + 2.7 ° C compared to the pre-industrial era, well beyond the objectives of the Paris agreement which aims for a limited warming “well below” 2 ° C and if possible at 1.5 ° C.

–