A generationIn the final stage of negotiations at the Glasgow World Climate Conference, the United States and China announced that they would cooperate more closely in addressing climate change. A large number of announcements appeared in the statement issued by the Washington State Department on Wednesday evening. The decisive factor is that the two countries hope to announce their respective national contributions to reducing climate change as early as 2025 and before 2035. In addition, common rules and standards for greenhouse gas emission reduction will be formulated, and cooperation in the field of methane control will be established. “The U.S. and China have no shortage of differences,” said John Kerry, the U.S. Commissioner for Climate Protection. “But in terms of climate, this is the only way to deal with this task.” In a joint statement, the two countries agreed to “establish a basic framework for such cooperation.” “If we don’t work together, we won’t be able to achieve our goals.”
In addition to the advance announcement of the Nationally Determined Contributions, the statement mainly contains a statement of intent. The decisive signal is likely to be that the two countries are in a hot stage of negotiations, and the negotiations will officially continue until Friday night. After the British President announced the draft of the final document on Wednesday morning, the environmental protection organization gave positive comments on some of the content, but was sharply criticized in subsequent interstate debates. Among other things, the draft envisages adjusting the next emission reduction target at the next climate meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The announcement last week that an agreement to control methane and oppose deforestation will be included in the UN process also drew criticism.
Commitment to climate finance in developing countries
In this regard, the statements of China and the United States can provide a positive impetus. Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission, welcomed the decision. He wrote on Twitter that the two largest carbon dioxide emitters should now “strengthen” negotiations. The two countries’ commitment to the UN’s annual goal of providing 100 billion U.S. dollars for climate adaptation in developing countries is also important to the negotiations. Developing countries are very dissatisfied with the final draft announced on Wednesday.
They severely criticized the UN’s official climate fund for not covering the damage and losses already caused by climate change. Even though the previous climate conference has repeatedly postponed this topic, the attitude of the representatives of the countries concerned is much more determined this time. Observers worry that negotiations may fail due to resistance from developing countries-this risk should be eliminated if China and the United States implement specific commitments.
