China and U.S. had a “very good year” for collaboration on dealing with climate change, but Washington is still pushing Beijing to adopt more ambitious carbon reduction goals, the top U.S. diplomat in China said.
David Meale, the American Embassy’s No. 2 official, said that what China does on burning coal will be crucial to whether the world can meet its target of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, as set by the 2015 Paris climate accord.
China, the world’s largest energy consumer and biggest producer and consumer of coal, emits 27% of the world’s carbon dioxide, the most of any country.
So far, China has shown no intention of moving up its timeline to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 and for carbon emissions to peak by 2030 or before, said Meale.
The Senate has yet to approve President Joe Biden’s nominee for ambassador to Beijing, former senior State Department official Nicholas Burns.
“It has been a very good year for our collaboration,” Meale said, citing the close relationship and regular communication between climate envoys John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua. MDT/AP
