US Climate Envoy John to Visit China Ahead of COP29 Summit

AFP/APP
Beijing: US climate envoy John Podesta will visit China this week for discussions with his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin, state media reported Tuesday, as preparations intensify for the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, scheduled for November.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the two officials will engage in an “in-depth exchange of views on practical cooperation” and will discuss “their respective domestic climate policy actions and the multilateral process on climate change.”
This visit follows their initial meeting in Washington in May, where they committed to collaborating on reducing methane emissions, the second-most abundant greenhouse gas.
During the upcoming talks, Podesta and Liu will explore ways to ensure the success of COP29, the US State Department indicated. The Biden administration views climate cooperation as a critical area of engagement with China, despite broader geopolitical tensions.
Podesta’s predecessor, John Kerry, forged a close working relationship with Xie Zhenhua, a veteran Chinese climate negotiator, which played a significant role in achieving consensus at COP28 in Dubai last year. Prior to the Dubai summit, China unveiled a broad plan to address methane emissions, a significant issue given its status as the world’s largest emitter of this potent greenhouse gas, primarily from coal mining.
In May, the US and China announced plans to co-host a second event in Baku focused on reducing methane and other non-carbon greenhouse gasses. Both nations have committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation and capacity building in deploying abatement technologies, with the goal of achieving significant methane emission reductions during the 2020s.
However, China has not yet signed a global pledge led by the United States and the European Union to cut global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. Methane, although more potent than carbon dioxide, has a shorter atmospheric lifespan, lasting years instead of centuries.
The international community, through successive UN climate summits, has set a target of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. However, the world remains far from achieving this goal. The Dubai talks marked the first time there was global agreement on the need to transition away from fossil fuels, underscoring the urgency of addressing climate change. As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, China’s actions in this area are crucial.