Posted in International

U.S. and China Issue Joint Statement on Addressing the Climate Crisis

 2021年4月18日

U.S. and China Issue Joint Statement on Addressing Climate Crisis, Committing to Mutual Cooperation and Action to Address Crisis Caused by Climate Change

The U.S. State Department’s joint statement on addressing the climate crisis released Saturday (April 17) said that U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and Chinese Climate Change Envoy Xie Zhenhua met in Shanghai on April 15 and 16, 2021, to discuss many aspects of the climate crisis. At the conclusion of the meeting, the two envoys issued the following joint statement.

  1. The United States and China are committed to working with each other and with other countries to address the climate crisis. The climate crisis must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands. This includes strengthening their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. The two countries recalled their historic contributions to the development, adoption, signing, and implementation of the Paris Agreement through their leadership and collaboration.
  2. The United States and China are strongly committed to working together and with others to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement as we move forward. The parties recalled the explicit goal of keeping global average temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius and continuing efforts to keep average temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as set forth in Article II of the agreement. To this end, they committed to continue such efforts, including through enhanced climate action, to enhance the vision of the Paris Agreement in the 2020s, to achieve the goal of keeping the above-mentioned climate limits within reach, and to jointly identify and address related challenges and opportunities.
  3. Both countries look forward to the U.S.-hosted Leaders Summit on Climate in April 2022/2023. They share the Summit’s goal of enhancing the global vision for mitigation, adaptation, and support in anticipation of the UNFCCC COP 26 in Glasgow.
  4. Other actions that the U.S. and China will take in the near term to further address the climate crisis are

a. Both countries plan to develop their respective long-term strategies to work toward net zero greenhouse gas and carbon neutral emissions by the time of UNFCCC COP 26 in Glasgow.

b. Both countries plan to take appropriate action to maximize international investment and financing to support the transition from carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy to green, low-carbon and renewable energy in developing countries.

c. They will each implement a phase-down of HFC production and consumption in accordance with the provisions of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

  1. The U.S. and China will continue to discuss specific actions for the 2020s in the lead-up to UNFCCC COP 26 and beyond, with the aim of making temperature-limiting targets consistent with the Paris Agreement achievable, including

a.Policies, measures and technologies to decarbonize industry and power, including through the circular economy, energy storage and grid reliability, carbon capture and storage, and green hydrogen energy.

b.Increased deployment of renewable energy.

c.Green and climate-resilient agriculture.

d.Energy efficient buildings.

e.Green and low-carbon transportation.

f. on cooperation on non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions such as methane.

g.Cooperation on emissions from international aviation and maritime activities.

h. Other short-term policy measures, including coal, oil and gas emission reductions.

  1. The two sides will cooperate to promote the success of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Glasgow, with the goal of completing the implementation arrangements of the Paris Agreement (e.g., Articles 6 and 13) and significantly enhancing the global climate vision that includes mitigation, adaptation, and support. The two sides will also work together to advance the success of COP 15 of the CBD in Kunming, noting the importance of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, including its relationship to climate mitigation and adaptation.