Beijing drags its heels on climate
WASHINGTON: China has resisted President Joe Biden’s call to make the coming years the “decisive decade” for sweeping changes to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, instead suggesting 2060 as a net neutral goal.
President Xi Jinping, the first speaker among the 40 world leaders at Mr Biden’s two-day virtual climate change summit, instead called for the West to do more — despite China being responsible for some 26 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Neither Mr Xi nor his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced new targets.
The US, which is responsible for about 15 per cent of the world’s emissions, has committed to cuts of at least 26 per cent by 2025 under the Paris agreement, which was signed under Barack Obama and rejoined by Mr Biden this year after Donald Trump’s withdrawal in 2017.
Mr Biden’s new targets effectively double those goals.
“Scientists tell us this is the decisive decade — the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of a climate crisis,” Mr Biden said on a video link with the world leaders.
Under the Paris accord, China is categorised as a developing country, giving it less responsibility for making cuts.
Mr Xi emphasised that China was committed to moving from peak carbon to netzero emissions in 30 years.
“The period between the carbon peak and carbon neutrality, as promised by China, is far shorter than the time it takes for developed nations and requires that China make strenuous efforts,” Mr Xi said, in a sign that Beijing will not amend its longer timeline.
Mr Putin claimed that Russia, the world’s fourth-highest producer of carbon emissions, absorbs about 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
“Let me say without exaggeration that Russia makes a gigantic contribution to absorbing global emissions,” he said, adding Russia would “significantly limit” net emissions.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been sceptical of climate change, said Brazil would aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, a decade earlier than previously targeted.
Meanwhile, environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg attacked politicians for “ignoring” climate change and demanded leaders take the crisis more seriously.
While China and Russia were doing their best to let others take the lead, the 18-yearold slammed the US: “How long do you honestly believe people in power like you will get away with it?” she said.
“How long do you think you can continue ignoring the climate crisis, the global aspect of equity and historic emissions without being held accountable? You get away with it now, but sooner or later people are going to realise.”