China-US agreement inspires talks at conference

The China-US joint declaration on climate changes has cleared the way for more effective negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow, said Wang Yi, a senior scientific adviser in China's delegation.

In a surprise development that sent shockwaves through the conference center in the Scottish city on Wednesday evening, China's special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry unveiled the US-China Joint Glasgow Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, a document that will form the basis of cooperation on the global warming crisis over the next decade between the superpowers.

Wang said that such key bilateral deals have had a major impact on the outcomes of previous United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COPs.

"Before the Paris Agreement, we had joint statements with the US and Europe. Paris showed that bilateral agreements can push through the multilateral negotiations," Wang said. "My view is that the document will have a leveraging effect to encourage other cooperation."

Wang said he is optimistic that having a "consensus between the two biggest emitters" will inspire other delegations in Glasgow.

Wang, who is vice-chair of China's National Expert Panel on Climate Change, said that key areas of negotiation still remain at COP26, which is officially due to close on Friday, though previous conferences have run over.

He said progress is needed on transportation, climate adaptation, finance, and the completion of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which involves carbon markets and other cross-border mechanisms designed to reduce emissions.

"We've talked about some of these issues for 10 years and we still do not have a resolution," Wang said.

Developed nations failed to meet a target of raising $100 billion in climate finance for developing countries last year, which seriously impacted mutual trust among negotiators, China's climate envoy Xie said last week.

COP26 President Alok Sharma said that he is hopeful that rich countries will deliver a cumulative $500 billion in climate finance over the next five years.

On Wednesday, Sharma also released a draft version of the Glasgow agreement, which parties will negotiate further over the final days. The draft included stronger language on average global warming targets. The Paris Agreement stipulates that countries should aim to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably toward 1.5 degrees.

While Sharma made clear that he does not wish to reopen negotiations on the Paris Agreement, the draft document encouraged countries to "pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees".

Wang said that he would not support a move to make this language decisive, as backtracking over previously agreed measures could stall progress.

"If the target is increased to 1.5 C, that means you must change all the supporting policies and actions," Wang said. "If we increase the indicators, that means we must change the whole Paris Agreement."

Wang said it is more important to deliver concrete action than to set ever more ambitious targets. He made a distinction between countries that have supplied detailed plans in the lead up to COP26, and those who have set vague and distant goals.

China released five documents heading into Glasgow, outlining its pathway toward previously-set targets of peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and reaching neutrality by 2060.

"This Chinese government is making a balance between ambitious targets and pragmatic actions," he said.

Wang said that China and the US achieved the joint declaration in large part because both countries provided one another with comprehensive long-term strategies.

"In my opinion, China is the only country with such detailed documents, sector by sector," he said. "And we have over 30 documents coming soon, for key sectors and key areas, including technology, innovation, green finance, and international cooperation."