U.S.-China Climate Deal

This past Wednesday, President Barack Obama and the president of China, Xi Jinping, made a historic move in the battle against climate change. The two leaders reached a joint agreement to reduce and limit emissions of greenhouse gases. For the first time, China set a deadline of 2030 to stop its emissions growth, which is currently fueling its growing economy. The United States made a goal to reduce its emissions 26-28% of what they were in 2005 by the year 2025. With China being the greatest contributor to greenhouse gases in the world and the United States being number two, this joint agreement was definitely a huge step in the right direction.

Get the facts on the U.S. & China’s new commitments to reduce carbon pollution: http://t.co/3Ns7QaNnAr #ActOnClimate pic.twitter.com/p1yL44x4iY

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 12, 2014

It’s not clear how much of an impact China’s part of the agreement will contribute, as President Jinping did not set a specific level at which emissions will stop rising, just the year that they will do so. Coal currently fuels 80% of China’s electricity, so moving away from coal will require a change in its economy. As for the United States, with the Republicans taking control of Congress next year, these new pollution standards could be facing some obstacles in the near future.

The U.S. and China have reached a historic climate change deal: http://t.co/QK0o9Ti8W0 pic.twitter.com/TAwWmnq4yO

— CNN (@CNN) November 12, 2014

For more information on the U.S.-China climate deal, check out the Huffington Post’s recent article.