China and US unite in historic climate commitment ahead of crucial UN talks

China and the United States have announced their commitment to accelerating efforts to address climate change ahead of a crucial United Nations meeting on the issue. In a joint statement released on Wednesday in Beijing and Tuesday evening in Washington, the two countries pledged to take steps to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases in addition to carbon dioxide. Cooperation between the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases is seen as vital for the success of the upcoming UN climate talks in Dubai.

The announcement came on the eve of a summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, which aims to stabilize the rocky US-China relationship. Despite tensions over various issues such as technology, Taiwan, and the conflict in Ukraine, both countries recognize the importance of their roles in addressing climate change and expressed a commitment to working together to rise up to this global challenge. The joint statement also reiterated the pledge made by the Group of 20 nations, of which both China and the US are members, to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Chinese companies, which have heavily invested in wind and solar power equipment, are looking to sell these technologies abroad. Experts emphasize the urgency of action to limit the average increase in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius. The inclusion of methane in the next climate action plans of both China and the US is considered a major step. Methane, which China is the world's largest emitter of, has been notably absent from China's previous commitments under the Paris Agreement. Controlling methane emissions is crucial for slowing global warming in the near term.

To address this, the Chinese government recently issued an action plan to control methane emissions, which includes the development of an accounting and reporting system. Major emitters such as coal mines, oil and gas fields, farms, landfills, and sewage treatment plants will be targeted. While the joint statement did not pledge to phase out fossil fuels, it did welcome climate cooperation between states, provinces, and cities. The US and China, together with the United Arab Emirates, will be hosting a meeting on methane and other greenhouse gases during the upcoming UN talks in Dubai.

Some disappointment was expressed that the joint statement didn't include a commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Despite China's rapid expansion in wind and solar power, it has continued to support the construction of coal power plants, considering them a more reliable source of power for periods of peak demand. The Chinese government recently announced that it would begin making capacity payments to keep coal power plants open, even as renewable energy replaces their electricity production. In addition, the US-China joint statement highlighted the importance of climate cooperation at the state, province, and city level.

It also announced that a high-level event on such cooperation will be held in the first half of 2024. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, recently visited China to promote joint climate efforts in various cities and provinces. Overall, the commitment by both China and the US to enhance their efforts in addressing climate change, particularly in reducing methane emissions, is seen as a significant step towards global climate action. The success of the upcoming UN climate talks in Dubai will depend on the cooperation between these two major emitters of greenhouse gases.