French president François Hollande called the agreement a “historic” moment for climate action, despite falling short of the automatic strengthening of climate commitments that France had hoped to get China to agree to.
In order to keep the world below 2°C, often considered the cut-off for irreversible climate change, experts have argued that regular revisions, which would ideally strengthen international commitments and deepen emissions cuts, will be crucial to sustaining success post-Paris. According to a recent United Nations synthesis of the more than 140 national climate pledges already submitted to the U.N., the world is currently on track for 2.7°C of warming by 2100.
After a meeting Monday, Hollande and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping issued a joint statement calling climate change “one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.” Both countries also reaffirmed their commitment to shifting the world to a low-carbon path by the end of the century, and stressed the responsibility of developed nations in helping developing nations mitigate and adapt to climate change, both through finance and technology.
The two countries agreed that any international climate agreement must include a full review of progress every five years — something that falls short of Hollande’s call for “upward revision of the national pledges every five years.” France had hoped to get China to agree to mandatory strengthening of emissions cuts every five years, noting that current pledges aren’t enough to keep the world below 2°C.
As a French diplomat told the Guardian in advance of Monday’s meeting, China’s position as a major economic power gives it “a leading role” in influencing how other countries approach the Paris climate negotiations.
Read more at France and China Announce Major Climate Action Agreement
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