Senator Carper Applauds U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change and Clean Energy Cooperation

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions for the United States and China – which account for more than one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.  President Obama said the United States would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.  At the same time, the Chinese government said it would increase domestic clean energy production by 20 percent by 2030 and achieve peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 or earlier.  This announcement was made almost one year before the global community is scheduled to meet in Paris to negotiate a new global climate agreement. Sen. Carper issued the following statement in reaction to the agreement.    

“I congratulate President Obama, Secretary Kerry and the rest of the State Department for negotiating this historic agreement with China. Together, the United States and China produce more than one-third of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, so this agreement is significant progress for those of us who have long been advocates for trying to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Even more significant, China has long refused to commit to any greenhouse gas targets, a fact that has stymied our efforts in Congress and around the globe to bring both the developing and developed world together to address this serious problem. I am hopeful this announcement will help drive the international community toward a broader global agreement in Paris next year, so that we can finally turn the corner on addressing climate change.   

“Since coming to the Senate, I have been a strong supporter of climate change legislation. But with Congress refusing to act, I fully support this administration’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint through common-sense regulations, such as those attempting to make our automobile fleet more efficient and our power plants less polluting. Like President Obama, I see the effort to curb carbon emissions and climate change as a great opportunity for our economy, not a burden. This announcement is yet another example that when the United States takes a leadership role in addressing our greatest global environmental challenges – other countries will follow.”