The world’s two biggest carbon polluters China and the US have agreed to tackle the climate crisis with urgency. Both countries have expressed their commitment to working together and with other countries to tackle climate change. The decision came after several meetings held last week between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry in Shanghai.
A joint statement by the countries said that they have agreed on further specific actions to reduce emissions. It said that the United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands. The statement said that both nations will continue to discuss concrete actions to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach.
Both the countries also agreed to help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy. China and the US are the world’s top carbon polluters, emitting nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the earth’s atmosphere.
US President Joe Biden will be holding a virtual climate summit on April 22 and 23, which China says it is looking forward to. It’s not clear yet whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the world leaders at the summit or not.
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