China and the United States announce an unprecedented agreement to face the climate crisis

Glasgow announces the news that everyone wanted but no one expected. China and the United States have announced that they work in a joint plan to address the climate crisis. The two most polluting superpowers on the globe announced late on Wednesday that they are willing to “cooperate closely” to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade.

According to a joint statement published late in the afternoon, the United States and China are willing to deploy a battery of measures to stop the advance of the climate crisis. The most important of all, they explain, is the joint pact for reduce methane emissions (one of the gases that contributes the most to global warming). Countries not only agree to curb their emission levels but also affirm that they are willing to cooperate to improve measurement tools, exchange information on its environmental policies and promote joint research on the challenges and solutions to reduce the impact of this gas.

In an unexpected turn of events, the United States and China say they are willing to reduce methane emissions from both fossil fuels (mainly coal) as in the agricultural sector (one of the main emitters of this gas); the two taboo subjects that, just a week ago, had been left out of the great global agreement to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

In just three pages, published in both English and Chinese, the superpowers summarize their roadmap to address the climate crisis. The United States has set the goal of achieving a 100% pollution-free electricity for carbon by 2035. China, for its part, is committed to gradually reducing its coal consumption over the next few years. Both governments also affirm that they will work together to “eliminate illegal deforestation“in their respective territories.

Tension at the Summit

The announcement was made after a very tense day at the Glasgow Climate Summit (COP26). This Wednesday, the publication of the first draft of the climate agreements agreed by the governments pointed out that, far from solving the problem, the debate on how to cut emissions was postponed for another year or two. According to sources close to the negotiation, the geopolitical tensions between the richest (and polluting) countries around the world are greatly obstructing the debate on who, when and how should reduce their levels of pollution.

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After a frenzied start to the Climate Summit in which it was promised that this event would be a “tipping point for climate change”, the lack of clear agreements has angered many. The same Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister and host of the event, has taken an appearance this afternoon to rEclaim the heads of state around the world to pick up the phone, call their negotiators, and give them more leeway to negotiate.

The news of the agreement between the United States and China has awakened big applause in the corridors of COP26. Many attendees, excited by the announcement, have toasted in front of the negotiating rooms. On the outskirts of the compound, some protesters have also jumped for joy seeing that, at last, the super pollutants of the globe are ready to cooperate to stop this crisis.