{"id":999350,"date":"2021-11-11T15:14:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T20:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=999350"},"modified":"2021-11-11T15:14:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T20:14:07","slug":"biden-signs-joint-statement-with-worlds-worst-polluter-china-on-seriousness-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-signs-joint-statement-with-worlds-worst-polluter-china-on-seriousness-of-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Signs Joint Statement with World\u2019s Worst Polluter China on \u2018Seriousness\u2019 of Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-signs-joint-statement-with-worlds-worst-polluter-china-on-seriousness-of-climate-change%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=999350&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-138943413-e1636652643233-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\"><span>The U.S. and China released an unexpected joint declaration on climate change at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, committing themselves to \u201caccelerated actions in the critical decade of the 2020s\u201d and multilateral cooperation to \u201chold the global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees C.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/u-s-china-joint-glasgow-declaration-on-enhancing-climate-action-in-the-2020s\/\"><span>joint statement<\/span><\/a><span> was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/cop26-us-and-china-announce-unexpected-declaration-to-work-together-on-climate-change-measures-12465048\"><span>reportedly<\/span><\/a><span> finalized only hours before it was announced. Chinese negotiator Xie Zhenhua said the statement showed there is \u201cmore agreement between China and the U.S. than divergence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>U.S. climate envoy John Kerry <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/us-and-china-sign-agreement-to-work-together-on-climate-change-200031637.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACYzEb072ginO8KlmLCe5mNJ7EI0dRinqRNtxa8b6c0cmEbHSY6elc1sqd8cGwQ6X65Cse8GRvrJWKn0fUI6kgtQMR36dxRFRy7OOUf5LfmhCcRKMuSl-hlccOReOWvkkD4MGukM_qvTIUDdCSNaTMOFbKxvPiplDu2qtAqrUwvI\"><span>called<\/span><\/a><span> the joint statement a \u201croadmap for our future collaboration.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTonight I am pleased to announce on behalf of President Biden and Secretary Blinken that we have agreed to a basic framework for this cooperation going forward,\u201d Kerry said Wednesday on behalf of President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Kerry praised the U.S.-China declaration for making \u201cstrong statements about the alarming science, the emissions gap and the urgent need to accelerate the actions to close that gap.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>According to Kerry, those actions will include both nations working to limit methane emissions and making their \u201cbest efforts to phase down unabated coal in this decade as fast as is achievable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This was an interesting turn of phrase from Kerry because China is currently <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/environment\/2021\/11\/09\/china-coal-output-climate-conference\/\"><span>hauling<\/span><\/a><span> record amounts of coal out of every foreign and domestic mine it has access to and pouring that haul into the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/02\/03\/china-built-three-times-as-much-coal-power-in-2020-as-the-rest-of-the-world-combined\/\"><span>record-breaking<\/span><\/a><span> number of coal-fired power plants it constructed last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Chinese are happy to collect whatever political capital the Biden administration tosses them for free with joint statements like this, but they have clearly demonstrated they have absolutely no intention of compromising their industrial goals and they will burn as much coal as they think necessary for as long as they need the electricity from those power plants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Journalists covering the joint declaration tend to describe the U.S. and China as \u201cthe world\u2019s worst polluters,\u201d but China <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/articles\/investing\/092915\/5-countries-produce-most-carbon-dioxide-co2.asp\"><span>emits<\/span><\/a><span> nearly twice as much carbon as the United States, or as much as the rest of the top-five combined.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>China\u2019s carbon emissions are <\/span><span>still rising<\/span><i><span>, <\/span><\/i><span>and they even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/environment\/2021\/11\/04\/study-worlds-worst-polluter-china-polluting-even-more-post-pandemic\/\"><span>rose<\/span><\/a><span> during the worst months of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, when the rest of the world saw its \u201ccarbon footprint\u201d shrink along with its economies.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Beijing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/10\/29\/china-pledges-to-increase-pollution-for-another-decade\/\"><span>refused<\/span><\/a><span> to make any binding pledges to reverse this trend during COP26. Pressed on its big-polluting ways, China <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/05\/10\/worlds-worst-polluter-china-right-to-emit-is-a-basic-human-right\/\"><span>claims<\/span><\/a><span> it is a \u201cdeveloping nation\u201d that has a \u201cright\u201d to produce whatever emissions it thinks are necessary. It refused to sign agreements to reduce coal use or methane agreements that were presented during the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The joint statement touted by Kerry corrects none of these problems, as it consists entirely of the aspirational language China routinely deploys \u2013 listing things the two countries \u201cwelcome,\u201d \u201crecognize,\u201d \u201cintend,\u201d and plan to \u201ccontinue discussing,\u201d but nothing concrete the Chinese would be required to <\/span><span>do<\/span><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>For example, point 3 of the joint statement says the U.S. and China \u201crecall their firm commitment to work together and with other Parties to strengthen implementation of the Paris Agreement.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Trump administration was excoriated by environmentalists for withdrawing from the Paris climate accords, but the U.S. environmental record got <\/span><span>better <\/span><span>after that, while China\u2019s got <\/span><span>worse<\/span><i><span>. <\/span><\/i><span>Politically-biased \u201cfact checkers\u201d were left <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/11\/28\/671521901\/fact-check-trumps-claims-about-record-clean-u-s-air\"><span>scrambling<\/span><\/a><span> to nitpick President Donald Trump\u2019s statements about the U.S. environmental record, accusing him of exaggerating the improvements made during his administration, but the trends of both countries were undeniable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Biden administration gave China a tremendous political gift by signing on to a joint declaration that made both countries seem equal as the world\u2019s top two polluters, helping Beijing get off the hook for behavior that was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/environment\/2021\/11\/02\/china-greta-thunberg-uneducated-beijing\/\"><span>sorely testing<\/span><\/a><span> the climate change movement\u2019s seemingly boundless indulgence for China\u2019s offenses.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>China\u2019s state-run <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202111\/1238712.shtml\"><i><span>Global Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span>appreciated the value of Biden\u2019s political gift, tying it firmly into Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda that \u201cChina-U.S. cooperation is the only right choice\u201d \u2013 coded language for \u201cthe U.S. needs to stop pestering us about repression, forced labor, unfair trade practices, Taiwan, and where the coronavirus came from.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><i><span>Global Times <\/span><\/i><span>touted the joint declaration as proof the U.S. and China are equals, asserting China is the <\/span><span>leader <\/span><span>on environmental matters, no matter how much greenhouse gas Chinese power plants and factories might be belching into the atmosphere:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"29\">\n<p><span>Xu Huaqing, a senior adviser of the Chinese delegation to COP26, told the Global Times that China has taken an active part in leading global climate governance, and also played an important historic role in facilitating the formulation of rules for the Paris Agreement through the diplomacy of the heads of state of China, the US and the EU. China looks forward to further strengthening dialogue and cooperation with the US and the EU, and working with other parties to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To achieve the long-term goals set in the Paris Agreement, developed countries should first take the lead in deepening emission reduction, which is the key to achieving global net zero emissions at an early date. The key to the international community\u2019s ambition lies in the need for countries to take strong concrete actions rather than empty slogans, Xu said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Regarding the expected goals of the COP26, Xu said he believes that it is particularly important to form a consensus on some aspects, including finishing the talks on the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement, and making concrete progress on financial and technology support for developing countries.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The rest of the <\/span><i><span>Global Times <\/span><\/i><span>article portrayed China as the patron saint of \u201cfinancial and technology support for developing countries,\u201d while making it clear China still sees itself as a developing nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Kerry positioned the joint climate declaration as a political document that marked the beginning of a sea change in U.S.-China relations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis declaration is a step that we can build on in order to help close the gap. You know the expression that \u2018a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?\u2019 Well, every step matters right now, and we have a long journey ahead of us,\u201d he said on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. and China released an unexpected joint declaration on climate change at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, committing themselves to \u201caccelerated actions in the critical decade &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-999350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=999350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=999350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=999350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=999350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}