Kerry says US and China must ‘win climate battle’ together
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US climate envoy John Kerry said the two countries need to step up and 'get the job done at a faster rate' to curb global warming.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DUBAI - China and the United States – the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas polluters – will work together at the UN climate talks in Dubai, US envoy John Kerry said on Nov 29.
“Without China and the United States aggressively moving forward to reduce emissions, we don’t win this battle,” the former US secretary of state told reporters on the eve of the opening of COP28.
“We are No. 2 (biggest emitter), they’re No. 1... So we have decided to actually work together to get a successful COP,” said Mr Kerry, who mentioned his last meeting with China’s long-standing climate envoy Xie Zhenhua earlier this month.
He said both countries – who produce 40 per cent of all greenhouse gases – “need to step up and help get the job done at a faster rate” to limit warming to 1.5 deg C as was agreed at the Paris climate talks in 2015.
China is the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter. But when past emissions are taken into account, it is second behind the US.
Dr Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told AFP in September that he was appealing to both superpowers to put aside “their economic and geopolitical tensions” during the talks.
After months of discreet discussions, both countries released a joint climate statement
The first official audit of the Paris Agreement, which has to be agreed by consensus, is one of the most anticipated decisions due to be taken in Dubai.
“This global stocktake needs to earn the credibility of the world by being candid, strong, visionary and comprehensive,” added Mr Kerry.
He said the US would push for a “commitment to accelerate the phase out of unabated fossil fuels”, meaning without carbon capture – a key battleground at the talks.
“I feel confident that we’re going to make progress. The question is how much progress,” he added. “The proof is in the pudding.” AFP
