The China-US Rift: A Huge Blow to the Global Climate Fight




By Hamza Badamasi

China's decision to end climate talks with the US is yet another setback for global warming efforts, which have already been hampered by the oil crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The visit of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, has strained relations between the world's biggest two greenhouse gas emitters. This occurred three months before a major United Nations summit on global warming. One hopes that the schism is only temporary.

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On Friday of last week, China's foreign ministry declared that it was halting talks and collaboration with the US on a number of issues, including crime, undocumented immigration, and climate change.


Chinese resentment over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, caused the damaging schism, which poses a serious geostrategic risk.


Beijing's decision further complicates global climate change negotiations, which are already hampered by the energy crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The move came just three months before a United Nations summit on global warming. 


China's announcement is a snub to US Special Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry, who invested his financial and personal resources on directly negotiating with Beijing to get agreements on reducing methane emissions and promoting clean energy.


 "The suspension is disappointing and misguided, because it punishes the entire world, especially the developing countries, rather than just the United States", said John Kerry. 


The two nations must continue to cooperate for the good of the entire globe, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. Without efficient communication and collaboration between the two nations, the secretary-general, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, "sees no way to resolve the most urgent issues of the entire globe."


"It is yet another example of how deteriorating geopolitics could hinder the international effort to address climate change," said Li Shuo, a climate analyst with Greenpeace East Asia. It's bad news for the climate agenda when large nations, in particular, can't get along with one another.

 

"Tackling the climate issue is in both the US and China's best interests. They are both suffering from the terrible effects of climate change, which is having an influence on economies and geopolitical ties, according to Alden Meyer, a senior associate with the research organization E3G. "It serves neither of their interests to put off communication for a long time."


According to Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, "China's relationship with the EU is also crucial for effective climate action, and the EU must fight to ensure channels remain open."


However, activists believe that despite the suspension of US-China climate negotiations, Beijing is still expected to continue participating in other multilateral and bilateral agreements, as well as local initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases emissions.


The two biggest polluters in the world promised to cooperate last year and meet frequently to address the situation in order to speed up climate action.


In 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that his nation was working toward becoming carbon neutral before 2060.


Experts agreed that the global effort to combat climate change would fail unless China significantly reduces its emissions.



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