China’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 exceeded those of the U.S. and the rest of the world’s developed nations combined for the first time.
A report published Thursday by the energy consulting firm Rhodium Group found that China was responsible for 27% of global emissions, far exceeding those of the U.S. with the second highest at 11%, and India in third at 6.6%.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping was a participant in a virtual climate summit hosted by President Joe Biden last month during which he urged countries to work together to combat climate change and reiterated China’s pledge to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.
“We must be committed to multilateralism… China looks forward to working with the international community, including the United States, to jointly advance global environmental governance,” President Xi said during his remarks.
China is also a partner to the Paris Climate Agreement, the global accord among the world’s developed nations to lower carbon emissions.
The Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Accords in 2019. President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin it back in February.
The Biden administration’s Climate Envoy John Kerry also recently met with his Chinese counterpart for bilateral talks in Shanghai, during which the two sides reaffirmed their commitment “to cooperating with each other” to strengthen the Paris Agreement.
Both sides also committed to curbing “global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees C” and phase down “hydrofluorocarbon production and consumption.”
President Biden himself has repeatedly committed to cutting America’s carbon emissions in half by 2030, more than doubling the commitment under the Paris Agreement, although he has not specified what his plan is for getting there. (RELATED: John Kerry Wants To Push Aside ‘Differences On Human Rights’ To Work With China On Climate Change)
The report from Rhodium Group also said it expects to see China’s emissions lead the world in 2020.