Chinese, US experts calling for global cooperation in support of climate pact

The UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid concluded on Sunday after discussions for two extra days without finalizing a rule book for the Paris agreement. Meanwhile, experts in China and the United States are calling for more international cooperation and adherence to the principle of the agreement.

Todd Stern, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former US special envoy for climate change, said on Saturday that even though the rules of a global carbon market remain up in the air, the rule book of the Paris agreement was "already quite good".

"If ... (the market) doesn't get done this year, I wouldn't panic about that," he said on the sidelines of the second round of the China-US Leading Scholars Dialogue in Shanghai. "To me, the more important thing is that it should not get done in a manner that lacks environmental integrity."

The dialogue was hosted by Yale's Paul Tsai China Center and the China Academy of Social Sciences in Shanghai on Friday and Saturday.

Stern said countries have been taking action to counter climate change, but not enough to meet the target set by the Paris agreement. The goal is to hold the global temperature increase to less than 2 C of pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.

"The world is on track for a 3-degree increase of temperature, which is way too high," he said.

To make things worse, the United States started its withdrawal process from the Paris agreement last month, which it expects to complete by Nov 4.

"It's damaging the international effort because the US is a big and important player," Stern said. US membership in the agreement could be restored if the country elects a president in 2020 who is committed to climate action and decides to rejoin the Paris agreement, he said.

"It's also important to note that there's a tremendous amount of climate action and activity in the US at the sub-national level by states and cities," Stern said. "The focus is particularly on states and cities that account for 68 percent of GDP, 65 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of emissions in the US."

He added, "There's still some room for collaboration on the subnational level, and plenty of opportunities for think tanks and others to collaborate."

Xie Zhenhua, China's special representative on climate change affairs and dean of Tsinghua University's Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, said it's unwise and irresponsible for the US to leave the Paris agreement.

"It's hurting people, not only in the US, but also in China and around the world," he said. "We urge the US to come back and play its role in global climate action.

"All parties should abide by the principles set in the Paris agreement, under which, I think, representatives and experts will work out the detailed rules of the carbon market addressing the balance between development and environment."

Xie added that local governments in China and the United States will continue to be committed to cooperation in combating climate change and will encourage continued efforts among social organizations and corporations between the two countries.