John Kerry Climate Envoy: "China Must Accelerate Greenhouse Gas Reduction"

John Kerry, U.S. Presidential Envoy for Climate
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, warned that China must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions more rapidly to prevent disasters caused by climate change. Kerry also expressed his desire to discuss the carbon border tax issue with China.

According to major foreign media on the 20th (local time), Kerry delivered a speech on climate change policy in London, UK. After the speech, in an interview with a media outlet, Kerry targeted China, saying, "If the world's largest carbon emitter does not change its targets, it will be impossible to achieve the goals promised by the world in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement."

China is the world's largest emitter, accounting for 28% of global carbon emissions. Chinese President Xi Jinping has officially announced a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Compared to major developed countries aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, this is 10 years later.

At the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Paris, France, in December 2015, the international community agreed to strive to keep the global average temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In the worst state of U.S.-China relations, climate change response is considered one of the few agendas on which the U.S. and China can cooperate.

Kerry also said that joint action by the U.S. and China on climate change could be a way to overcome the situation where both countries are launching policies aimed at harming each other.

Kerry expressed his willingness to discuss the recently spotlighted carbon border tax with China as well.

The European Union (EU) announced on the 14th that it would impose a carbon border tax as part of its plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This tax would impose higher duties on imported goods that emit more carbon than products produced within the EU.

Following the EU's announcement of the carbon border tax, opinions have emerged in the U.S. political sphere that the U.S. should also consider introducing a carbon border tax.

Kerry mentioned that he is in very close discussions with France, the Netherlands, and the EU regarding the carbon border tax. He added that it is an issue he would like to discuss with many other countries, including China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.