November 12, 2014

On November 12, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a climate change agreement, pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions and collaborate in an international effort to combat global temperature rise.

Under the agreement, China pledged to reach peak emissions by 2030 at the latest, before reductions come into effect. It will also transition 20 percent of its energy share to non-fossil fuel sources in the same time period by investing in nuclear, wind, solar, and other zero-emission energy technologies. The United States pledge to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, with the ultimate goal of an 80 percent cut in emissions by midcentury.

Critics of the deal have expressed concern that the agreement is disproportionate, with more stringent, potentially economically-prohibitive requirements for the U.S., while China has 16 years before emission cuts come into effect. Critics also argue that the deal is not a binding agreement and includes no enforcement mechanisms.

President Obama and other supporters of the deal hope that an agreement between the world’s two largest economies will set a precedent for future international collaboration on efforts to curb global climate change. The breakthrough has already been hailed as a positive precursor for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru in December.

Sources: E&E News, New York Times