A few days before the virtual climate summit organized by Joe Biden, the United States and China declare themselves ready to work together to fight against global warming.
This summit, which will be held by videoconference due to the pandemic on April 22 and 23, will bring together Joe Biden, Xi Jinping and 40 other heads of state. This will be an opportunity to witness the return, at the highest level, of the United States after 4 years of climate-skepticism displayed by Donald Trump.
Leaving aside for a moment, the subjects which divide them, the United States and China are committed to "cooperate" . The two nations reaffirmed: "the strengthening of their respective actions and cooperation in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement" . And there will be no question of trade war or Uighurs.
A few days ago, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, stung Washington by declaring "This is by no means a glorious comeback. But rather a bad student who returns to the school benches after having skipped lessons ” , and asked for explanations on how the United States intended to “ fill the void left for four years ”
In line with his campaign promise to bring his country back to the forefront of the international stage to face the environmental challenges that threaten the planet, the American president unveiled a roadmap with ambitious objectives.
Remember that China and the United States account for half of the total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. That is why the two countries say they are "impatient" to start this summit and display an unusual unity. John Kerry, United States' emissary for climate affairs and in representation for several weeks around the world, and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, declared with one voice: “The United States and China are committed to to cooperate among themselves and with other countries to face the climate crisis, which must be treated with the seriousness and the urgency that it demands ”.
In our various previous articles, we have mentioned the delay taken by the signatory countries of the Paris Agreement in respecting their commitments to keep the rise in temperatures below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. With this virtual summit, Joe Biden hopes to re-mobilize the troops towards a strengthening and acceleration of actions in favor of the climate. There is no shortage of subjects: drastic reduction in fossil fuels in favor of green energy, increased use of renewable energies, clean mobility, ecological transition of the agricultural world towards an agriculture better equipped to face climatic variations, reallocation of financial assets towards eco-responsible investments among others.
China, for its part, is committed to achieving carbon neutrality 10 years later than the others, in 2060. In the meantime, China and the United States are refining their draft in order to make an exemplary copy during the COP 26 to be held next November in Glasgow. We must hope for success in this common approach because cohesion between the two nations is essential to the success of the fight against the climate threat.
Posted on 2021-04-19 11:53
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