US, China seek climate collaboration amid trade rift

The climate negotiations between the world’s leading greenhouse gas emitters concluded with plans for the US and China to work together on reducing coal consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy.

John Podesta, the US senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, said that the country held an “in-depth” and “substantive” discussion covering topics such as addressing methane emissions, transitioning to clean energy, and implementing local initiatives to combat global warming.

Addressing the media, Podesta said “We have to get the climate problem under control, and there are no more important countries than the US and China to lead the way.

“Even as our overall relationship between our two countries has increasingly been characterized by fierce competition, we have an obligation to our citizens and the people of the world to communicate, cooperate and collaborate where we can to tackle the climate crisis,” he was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

The United States and China’s new climate envoys convened for their first face-to-face discussions on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, leading a bilateral working group to accelerate concrete climate action. This unique collaboration between the US and China on climate change has been instrumental in driving global climate initiatives, as policies implemented by the world’s two largest economies, also the biggest polluters can significantly influence energy trends worldwide.

The talks happened amid ongoing trade tensions, with President Joe Biden poised to unveil plans for tariffs on China, initially imposed in 2018, which may target strategic sectors like electric vehicles with new levies. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has cautioned against Chinese overcapacity and surging exports of green technology, warning of their distortionary effects on the global economy. In response, China’s Liu has argued that efforts by the US and European Union to counter Chinese dominance risk impeding progress in the fight against climate change.

The discussions centered on a shared commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation and develop capabilities to measure and mitigate methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas to achieve significant reductions within this decade, as stated by the US State Department on Friday.

Also, both countries expressed support for the commitment made at the UN climate talks in Dubai last December, which aims to ensure that forthcoming emissions reduction pledges are comprehensive, covering all greenhouse gases and aligned with the necessary actions to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a critical threshold.