14 November 2014
China-United States Reach Agreement on Climate Change Accord
China and the United States made an ‘ambitious joint plan’ against the growing challenges of climate change with a joint accord to curb carbon emissions.
The agreement sets out new targets for carbon emission reductions with the United States announcing it would emit between 26 to 28 percent less carbon pollution than it did in 2005 by 2025. China has pledged to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 – if not sooner – aiming to shift 20 percent of its total energy production to clean energy sources by 2030. US Administration officials said the agreement “could galvanize efforts to negotiate a new global climate agreement by 2015”.
Li Shuo, a climate and coal policy researcher for Greenpeace East Asia, noted that “this is a very serious international commitment between the two heavy hitters”. President Obama said that “when the U.S. and China are able to work together effectively the whole world benefits”.
Source: The New York Times | U.S. and China Reach Climate Accord After Months of Talks
Source: The New York Times | China’s Climate Change Plan Raises Questions