GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — The world’s top two carbon polluters, China and the United States, have pledged to increase cooperation on climate action in a joint declaration at U.N. climate talks in Glasgow.
In separate news conferences Wednesday, Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and U.S. counterpart John Kerry said the two countries would work together to accelerate the emissions reductions required to meet the temperature goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
The two sides intend to cooperate on developing regulatory frameworks and environmental standards related to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in the 2020s.
The countries also intend to work together to maximize the societal benefits of the clean energy transition, and to create policies to encourage decarbonization and electrification of end-use sectors.
They also hope to collaborate on the deployment and application of technology such as CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) and direct air capture.
China also agreed for the first time to crack down on methane leaks, following the lead of the Biden administration’s efforts to curb the potent greenhouse gas. The two countries agreed to share technology to reduce emissions.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the move “an important step in the right direction.”
