U.S. President Barack Obama waves has he arrives at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Hangzhou, China, to attend the G-20 summit.
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Building on a September 2015 announcement, the USA and China agreed to prepare and publish their respective long-term emission strategies, phase down their consumption and production of super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons and take actions domestically to combat climate change and accelerate the use of renewable energy, according to the White House.
“I look forward to an extensive discussion of shared interests in advancing regional and global security from the Korean peninsula to the fight against ISIL [Daesh]”, Obama said at the bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Hangzhou.
The formal U.S. -Chinese announcement means the accord could enter force by the end of the year, faster than anticipated. Together, China and the US account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
A year ago 195 countries negotiated the language of the agreement and came to a consensus that was agreed upon by all the nations. The nations that have joined must also produce at least 55 percent of global emissions.
The White House has attributed the accelerated pace to the unlikely partnership between Washington and Beijing on the issue. “For decades previously, it was as if China and the USA were the captains of two different teams in approaching climate change, and if we were going to find a path out of Copenhagen’s failure, we were going to need to address that”. The U.S. has criticized China over cyberhacking and human rights and voiced increased exasperation with Beijing’s growing assertiveness in key waterways in the region.
Obama credited US and China leadership as a major reason for the agreement in Paris, and said he plans to continue deepening the USA relationship with China even after he leaves office.
Launching his final tour through Asia, President Barack Obama arrived in China on Saturday planning to spotlight U.S.
But that was not far away enough for the Chinese personnel, one of whom screamed at White House staff, demanding the U.S. press leave the scene.
“This is our country!” the Chinese official, in a dark suit, shouted at her in English.
The Paris Agreement, which is part of the UN’s 2015 Convention on Climate Change, is an arrangement to begin greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance in the year 2020.
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However, some of his critics don’t agree that climate change is something that will threaten future generations, and congressional Republicans say that the agreement requires ratification in the senate, which would not happen.
