US, China, and the Environment
On November 12th, 2014, Al Jazeera reported that the United States and China have both spoken on the importance of the environment, and have “unveiled what is being touted as ambitious targets Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gases, aiming to inject fresh momentum into the global fight against climate change ahead of a make-or-break treaty to be finalized next year.”
In terms of the United States, “President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would move much faster in cutting pollution, with a goal to reduce it 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels. Earlier in his presidency, Obama set a goal to cut emissions by 17 percent by 2020.” And regarding China, “Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country’s emissions are still growing as it builds new coal plants, didn’t commit to cut emissions by a specific amount. Rather, he set a target for China’s emissions to peak by 2030 or earlier if possible. He also pledged to increase the share of energy that China will derive from sources other than fossil fuels, such as solar and wind.”
While such language is important by these leaders in order to help protect the environment, words will not be enough. Both leaders must show solid commitments towards these issues by offering tangible results. Furthermore, another very important step in the fight against climate change and greenhouse gases would be for the United States to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for reductions in greenhouse gas. Furthermore, despite the fact that China and India are exempt, it would be a great commitment to pledge support for the principles of the Kyoto Protocol.
Because, without significant proof that real change is taking place, it is difficult to believe that these states will offer significant alterations in their policies. In the comments by China, for example, saying that the peak of emissions is still another 16 years away is quite troubling with regards to environmental issues. However, if the two states can indeed follow through on real change, then hopefully other states will follow, since “[e]nvironmental advocates have long held that without agreement between the top carbon polluters, few other countries would cut emissions” (Al Jazeera, 2014).
