China, US join hands to fight climate change

Beijing, July 10 (IANS/EFE) China and the US Thursday signed eight partnership accords in Beijing aimed at reducing the emission of polluting greenhouse gases.

Four of the eight agreements deal with the exchange of technology regarding the exploitation, use and storage of carbon, while the other four are about smart grid electricity supply, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

In a joint press conference following the sixth round of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, where climate change has been one of the burning issues, Kerry said that both countries have decided to adopt the highest standards for fuels.

"With these joint measures we hope to send a clear message: two countries with the largest emission of greenhouse gases in the world have come together to promote economic growth with lower carbon emissions," said the US secretary of state.

The partnership and consensus between the two nations will be a determining factor for the signing, next year, of a global climate agreement to substitute the Kyoto Protocol.

Parts of the Kyoto Protocol have not been ratified by the US because it does not require developing countries to reduce their carbon emissions.

"Being the two biggest consumers of energy in the world, China and the US together have a determining role in the reduction of emissions and the development of a future with clean energy," Kerry added.

One of the points of friction between the two countries in reaching an agreement has been US reluctance to chinese demands on developed countries to establish financial mechanisms to help poorer nations reduce emissions.

"It is not about one country obliging another, but it is science itself that demands this from all of us, we have been working these two days in this regard," Kerry said.

The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue took place Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing with meetings between high officials on topics such as cyber-security, economic cooperation or the situation in countries like North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan.

--IANS/EFE

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