US and China make a pact on climate change

US and China form one of the largest cooperative agreements concerning climate change

The United States and China have formed an agreement concerning climate change. The two countries are the world’s leading polluters and have been working to address environmental issues for several years. While neither country has plans to abandon fossil-fuels any time soon, the new agreement between them could go a long way in reducing emissions in both countries. This agreement represents one of the largest cooperative efforts targeting climate change to be formed between two countries.

US will work to curb emissions at an accelerated rate

Per the agreement, the United States will be doubling the speed of its current emissions reduction goals. The country has already seen its emissions drop by 10%, but it now wants to reduce emissions by as much as 28% by 2025. Clean transportation may play a major role in accomplishing this endeavor. The federal government has been working to support the adoption of electric vehicles among consumers somewhat aggressively in recent years, believing that clean vehicles can help solve the emissions problem.

China to begin focusing more on renewable energy and clean transportation

China will also be working to mitigate emissions in the coming years. Though the country’s new climate change attack plan will not begin until 2030, China will be preparing to curb emissions production by adopting renewable energy. The Chinese government is currently involved in the development of various types of solar energy projects and has begun investing heavily in wind power. The government has also been targeting the transportation sector, limiting the number of conventional vehicles that can be licensed in a given period of time.

China may cap its use of coal

China has also begun to consider placing a limit on how much coal can be used to produce electrical power. This year, the country’s consumption of coal dropped by 1% for the first time in a century. China is beginning to rely more heavily on other forms of energy, but coal is expected to continue playing a major role in the country’s energy structure for some time.