PLEA Network

11 November 2021, Renew Economy. Coal on the chopping block as US and China agree to cooperate on climate action. With negotiations in Glasgow beginning to approach a crunch point, the United States and China stole the show on Wednesday with the release of an unexpected joint statement confirming the two major world powers will cooperate on accelerating action on climate change, including a commitment to phase down the use of coal and tackle methane emissions. With Chinese President Xi Jinping declining to attend the COP26 talks, there were concerns that China, currently the world’s largest emitter, had become disinterested in global cooperative efforts to cut emissions and to limit global warming. But a surprise joint statement released between China and the United States – the culmination of backroom negotiations between their respective heads of state – has the two powers agreeing to cooperate on ramping up their their respective efforts to keep global warming to within safer limits, with a particular emphasis on the short term need to bridge an ambition gap to keep the Paris Agreement goals within reach. Read more here