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The United States and China Issue Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change with New Domestic Policy Commitments and a Common Vision for an Ambitious Global Climate Agreement in Paris
The United States and China Issue Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change with New Domestic Policy Commitments and a Common Vision for an Ambitious Global Climate Agreement in Paris
On the occasion of President Xi’s State Visit to Washington, D.C., the United States and China today marked another major milestone in their joint leadership in the fight against climate change with the release of a U.S.-China Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change. The Statement, which builds on last November’s historic announcement by President Obama and President Xi of ambitious, respective post-2020 climate targets, describes a common vision for a new global climate agreement to be concluded in Paris this December. The Statement also includes significant domestic policy announcements and commitments to global climate finance, demonstrating the determination of both countries to act decisively to achieve the goals set last year.
· Common vision for the Paris climate agreement – As part of their commitment to a successful and ambitious Paris outcome, the two countries articulated a set of shared understandings for the agreement, including on the importance of a successful agreement that ramps-up ambition over time, pointing toward a low-carbon transformation of the global economy this century. They agreed on the need for an enhanced transparency system to build mutual trust and confidence and promote effective implementation including through reporting and review of action and support in an appropriate manner, and made new progress on the issue of differentiation between developed and developing countries.
· Ambitious domestic policy announcements – China confirmed today that it plans to launch in 2017 a national emission trading system covering power generation, steel, cement, and other key industrial sectors, as well as implement a “green dispatch” system to favor low-carbon sources in the electric grid. These announcements complement the recent finalization of the U.S. Clean Power Plan, which will reduce emissions in the U.S. power sector by 32% by 2030. Both countries are developing new heavy-duty vehicle fuel efficiency standards, to be
finalized in 2016 and implemented in 2019. Both countries are also stepping up their work to phase down super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
· Breaking new ground on climate finance – Looking beyond their shores, the two countries announced further steps to help accelerate the transition to low-carbon development internationally, including a new climate finance commitment by China of CNY 20 billion ($3.1 billion) to help developing countries combat climate change and new steps to control public support for high carbon activities. The two countries
also re-affirmed their commitment to bilateral cooperation, both at the federal and sub-national levels.
Building a Common Vision for the Paris Agreement
Presidents Obama and Xi are committed to an ambitious outcome at the Paris climate conference and have articulated a concrete set of shared understandings for the Paris agreement.
On mitigating the impact of climate change, the two leaders agreed on three elements of a package to strengthen the ambition of the Paris outcome. First, they recognized that the emissions targets and policies that nations have put forward are crucial steps in a longer-range effort to transition to low-carbon economies and agreed that those policies should ramp up over time in the direction of greater ambition. Second, they
underscored the importance of countries developing and making available mid-century
strategies for the transition to low-carbon economies, mindful of the below 2 degrees
Celsius global temperature goal. Third, they emphasized the need for the low-carbon
transformation of the global economy this century.
The leaders agreed on the importance of an enhanced transparency system to build mutual trust and confidence and promote effective implementation including through reporting and review of action and support in an appropriate manner, and agreed that such a system should provide flexibility to those developing countries that need it in light of their capacities.
The leaders also made new progress on the issue of differentiation, including by reaffirming their commitment to an ambitious agreement in 2015 that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances, and embeds differentiation in the relevant elements of the agreement in a manner appropriate to each individual element. They also agreed that adaptation needs to be elevated in the international talks, and that it is a key component of the long-term global response to climate change.