US President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Sunday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping to express appreciation for the important role China played in securing a historic climate agreement in Paris, the White House said. What did other late-night comics have to say about the air pollution, climate change and efforts by countries to cut carbon?
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On the basis of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, the Paris agreement aims to hold global average temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and strives for limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since 2009, the general public has gone from not understanding much or caring about environmental issues “and mainly being focused on wanting to make some money, to now being very concerned with environmental issues and taking in that on par with wanting to make money”, he stated.
Beijing issued its most severe smog warning last week for the first time, a so-called red pollution alert, limiting industrial production, banning outdoor construction and halting classes at primary schools and kindergartens.
China will, on the basis of technological and institutional innovation, adopt new policy measures to improve the industrial mix, build a low-carbon system, develop green building and low-carbon transportation and establish a nationwide carbon-emission trading market, Xi said. China and the United States, which are the top two emitters, reached an agreement a year ago under which America intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26-28 per cent below its 2005 level in 2025.
However, significance of the Paris agreement can never be exaggerated as the “outcome has a bearing with the undertaking of climate change of the human being and our future of sustainable development”, said Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Representative on Climate Change.
In Sept., China announced the establishment of an independent South-South cooperation fund of 20 billion yuan (3.1 billion US dollars) to help developing countries affected by global warming. The US side stands ready to work with China and other relevant parties to make sure that the deal will go into effect and be implemented, Obama said.
Beijing came under criticism for obstructing the 2009 Copenhagen talks when some participants complainedChina and India stymied global emissions reduction efforts, possibly for fear they might hamper economic growth.
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China, the United States and other relevant parties maintained close coordination and jointly contributed to the success of the UN climate conference in Paris, Xi said.
