Nov. 14, 2014: US-China Jointly Agree to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Agreement Includes Cooperative Effort to Begin Phasing Down Use of HFC Refrigerants
BEIJING — During his visit to China, President Obama issued a joint announcement with President Xi Jinping of China in which each country agreed to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. President Obama announced a new target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. At the same time, President Xi announced that China would set a target to peak its CO2 emissions around 2030, with the intention to try to peak earlier, and to increase its non-fossil fuel share of energy to around 20 percent by 2030.
The White House said that, together, the United States and China account for over one third of global greenhouse gas emissions. With this joint announcement, which comes after months of talks, the two countries are making a major move in addressing climate change. The Obama administration said these actions will also inject momentum into global climate negotiations on the road to reaching a new climate agreement next year in Paris.