China and Europe take lead on climate change as US steps back

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News, US June 2, 2017 , by IRIA No Comments

EU and China seek climate leadership at summit after the US stepped back

China and the European Union have affirmed their joint commitment to the Paris climate agreement after the US administration decided to withdraw from the accord.

At a joint news conference in Brussels, European Council President Donald Tusk said, “Today we are stepping up our cooperation on climate change with China, which means that today, China and Europe have demonstrated solidarity with future generations and responsibility for the whole planet.”

After meeting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Tusk said the EU and China take their responsibilities regarding climate change seriously.

China and the EU released a joint statement at the meeting, saying the two parties “consider climate action and the clean energy transition an imperative more important than ever.”

As the US stepped back from its role as a global climate leader, it made room for the European Union and China to lead and support the accord, which two years ago brought the world together in a bid to keep global temperature increases below 2C.

“We are convinced that yesterday’s decision by the United States to leave the Paris agreement is a big mistake,” Tusk continued. “But the fight against climate change and all the research, innovation and technological progress it will bring will continue with or without the United States.”

Miguel Arias Canete, the EU’s energy commissioner, said in a statement after Trump’s announcement that the European Union deeply regretted the decision but would seek new allies in the fight against climate change.

“We see the Paris Agreement and the low-carbon transition for what it is, the irreversible growth engine of our economies and the key to protecting our planet,” Canete said.

Friday’s bilateral announcement signals that China might have found its new partner in the European Union.

China is already the world leader in solar and wind investments. It spends $100 billion annually on clean energy, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, and made a record $32 billion in overseas investment deals in 2016 alone.

As part of the Paris agreement, developed countries — which have generated the lion’s share of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change — reaffirmed that they would give $100 billion by 2020 to the Green Climate Fund, to assist developing countries to adapt to climate impacts. Around $66.8 billion had gone to the fund as of 2016.