Sino-US emissions agreement is result of APEC summit

Xi and Obama pen an historic agreement to reduce emissions

The United States and China have agreed to set new limits on carbon emissions starting in 2025. The understanding will see the two superpowers making a concerted effort to reduce harmful emissions globally.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has now slated a date for peak CO² emissions and has also pledged to raise the country’s zero-carbon energy to 20% of the national total. President Obama also agreed to cut emissions by a quarter over the next decade.

A key part of the agreement is reducing both countries’ dependence on coal burning, as well as committing to non-fossil fuels. China will reduce its non-fossil fuel energy mix to around 20% by 2030 compared to less than 10% last year.

Prior to the summit taking place, Beijing halted heavy polluting industrial activity in Tianjin, six cities in Shandong, many more in Hebei and also in the capital itself. The odd-even license plate ban enforced during the 2012 Olympics was also brought back. Fortunately, there were blue skies for the main part of the APEC meeting.