Envoys from China and the United States concluded a meeting held in Washington DC to discuss further plans for co-operation on climate change, according to Asian media.
The two-day climate change meeting was co-chaired by China’s special envoy for climate change Liu Zhenmin and US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate Change John Podesta and concluded on Thursday.
The meeting made commitments to introduce emission reduction technologies, establish or improve monitoring, reporting and verification systems and standards, and promote bilateral co-operation and capacity building. The two sides discussed technical co-operation and capacity building on non-CO2 greenhouse gases, including industrial nitrous oxide and precursor substances for tropospheric ozone, according to the press release.
The conference delved into various areas that were touched upon at the December summit between the Chinese and US presidents in San Francisco, such as the energy transition, methane. The focus was on co-operation on multilateral issues relevant to the success of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November. Both sides shared experiences and challenges in climate policy and action to effectively address the climate crisis and its impacts.
China and the US have played significant roles in tackling the climate crisis. In particular, in 2015, the two countries worked with France to finalise the landmark Paris Agreement, which was a fitting example of major countries cooperating to advance global climate governance. China’s development and growth in electric vehicles has contributed to the low-carbon transformation of the global transport sector, according to Liu Zhenmin.
Global warming exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius in the 12 months to January 2024, crossing a critical threshold that, if it continues, will push the limits of life on Earth to adapt. The effects of global warming are becoming increasingly devastating, as evidenced by more frequent and severe extreme weather events, including massive heat waves, prolonged periods of drought and more damaging floods and wildfires around the world.
Next high-level event on local climate action between China and the US is scheduled for 29-30 May in Berkeley, California.
