What happened
Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday told a United Nations climate summit that his country would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by between 7% and 10% over the next 10 years and ramp up its solar and wind energy capacity so that renewables account for more than 30% of domestic energy consumption. It was Beijing’s first commitment to cut emissions, though climate experts called it an insufficient target from the world’s largest producer of heat-trapping gases. The U.S., the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit.
Who said what
“Green and low-carbon transition is the trend of our time,” Xi said via video. “While some countries are acting against it, the international community should stay focused in the right direction.” That was a “veiled rebuke” of President Donald Trump, Reuters said. The U.S. president told fellow world leaders on Tuesday that “windmills are pathetic,” climate change is a “con job” and if they “don’t get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail.”
China burns more coal than any other country but has also “emerged as the dominant manufacturer of clean-energy technologies,” The Wall Street Journal said. “Trump wants fossil fuels,” political scientist Ian Bremmer said to Reuters, “but letting China become the world’s sole powerful electro-state is the opposite of making America great again.”
What next?
China’s pledge could give a moderate boost to the U.N.’s COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil in November. “The U.S. going AWOL has lowered the bar for what will count as ambitious enough to qualify as sufficient,” energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta told The Washington Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for November 29Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Kash Patel's travel perks, believing in Congress, and more
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Can for-profit geoengineering put a pause on climate change?In the Spotlight Stardust Solutions wants to dim the sun. Scientists are worried.
-
How will climate change affect the UK?The Explainer Met Office projections show the UK getting substantially warmer and wetter – with more extreme weather events
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
Did Cop30 fulfil its promise to Indigenous Brazilians?Today’s Big Question Brazilian president approves 10 new protected territories, following ‘unprecedented’ Indigenous presence at conference, both as delegates and protesters
-
Can the world adapt to climate change?Today's Big Question As the world gets hotter, COP30 leaders consider resilience efforts
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
The future of the Paris AgreementThe Explainer UN secretary general warns it is ‘inevitable’ the world will overshoot 1.5C target, but there is still time to change course
-
The Southern Ocean is holding in a ‘burp’Under the radar The heat from the past can affect the future
