by Valerie Volcovici, William James and Jake Spring
GLASGOW (Reuters) – China and the United States, the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, on Wednesday announced a pact to cooperate in the fight against climate change, including reducing emissions methane, the protection of forests and a gradual phase-out of coal.
This pact was unveiled at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, by US special climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, who described the Sino-US deal as a catalyst for making the conference UN a success.
Washington sees the fight against climate change as one of the areas of possible cooperation with Beijing, as the world’s two biggest economic powers are at odds on a range of issues.
US President Joe Biden, who took office last January, brought the United States back to the Paris climate agreement and stressed its willingness to relaunch the global discussions abandoned by his predecessor Donald Trump.
Chinese President Xi Jinping did not visit Glasgow, instead issuing a written statement in which he made no new promises but called for “strengthening mutual trust and cooperation.”
“Together we show our support for a successful COP26, some elements of which will promote ambition,” said John Kerry. “Every step counts, now, and a long journey awaits us,” he added at a press conference.
Xie Zhenhua said for his part that China will strengthen its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets as part of the agreement and develop a national methane plan.
China and the United States also want to implement more measures to stop deforestation, added the Chinese representative.
“The two camps will work jointly and with other parties to ensure a successful COP26 and to foster an outcome that is both ambitious and balanced,” he told reporters.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised the Sino-US agreement. “Tackling the climate crisis requires international collaboration and solidarity, and this is an important step in the right direction,” he responded via Twitter.
(Report Jake Spring, Valerie Volcovici and William James; French version Jean Terzian)
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