US, China pledge co-op on climate following California talks

The United States and China will back a new global renewables target and work together on methane and plastic pollution, they said in a joint statement on November 15 after a meeting to find common ground ahead of COP28 talks in Dubai later this month, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Climate envoys John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, meeting in Sunnylands, California on November 4-7, agreed to revive a bilateral climate working group that will discuss areas of cooperation between the two countries, the joint statement said, though differences remain on issues like phasing out fossil fuels.

The re-launch of the working group marks the normalization of the climate relationship between the two countries following a hiatus triggered in 2022 by the visit of former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims.

It will focus on key areas of cooperation, including abating methane and boosting efficiency and the "circular economy", and exchange information on policies and technologies to reduce emissions. The two sides also promised to work together to curb forest loss and plastic pollution.

China's efforts to cut its own carbon emissions will be in sharp focus at the COP28 talks, with the country still approving new coal-fired power plants in a bid to ensure energy security.

The United States and China said they support a declaration by G20 leaders to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, and also agreed to "accelerate the substitution for coal, oil and gas generation."

Both sides also agreed to include methane in their 2035 climate goals - the first time China has made such a pledge - and committed to advancing "at least five" large-scale cooperation projects in carbon capture, utilization and storage by the end of the decade.