Biden urges China, other major economies to step up climate action, as US and EU join global methane cuts pledge
- Virtual major economies forum sees Biden call on attendees to ‘challenge ourselves to do more’ on clean energies and carbon goals
- China a notable absentee from 13 inaugural members of Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway agreed upon at the forum
At a virtual convening of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, Biden urged delegates to ramp up investment in clean energies, accelerate efforts to decarbonise the automotive and shipping industries, and improve energy security.
“[Let’s] challenge ourselves to do more, because we can,” Biden said in opening remarks.
Among the outcomes of the gathering was an agreement by the US, European Union and other countries to further tackle global methane emissions, by combating leaks in the oil and gas industry and winding down “flaring” – where excess natural gas is burned during the oil extraction process.
Called the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway, the new initiative builds on a pledge issued by more than 100 countries last year to reduce methane emissions by more than 30 per cent by 2030, from 2020 levels.
The effort includes a commitment to eliminate routine flaring by no later than 2030.
“Each year, our existing energy system leaks enough methane to meet the needs for the entire European power sector,” Biden said. “We flare enough gas to offset nearly all of the EU’s gas imports from Russia. And so, by stopping the leaking and flaring of this super-potent greenhouse gas, and capturing this resource for countries that need it, we’re addressing two problems at once.”
Absent from the list of the Pathway’s inaugural 13 members was China, which last year agreed to work with the US to reduce methane emissions.
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There was no word from the White House of new climate pledges made by China during Friday’s meeting, and the State Department’s climate office did not answer questions about Xie’s participation.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, did not respond to questions about whether Xie had unveiled any new climate goals or commitments, but said in a statement that China was “actively implementing practical actions to address climate change”.
“China has made historic contributions to the conclusion, signing, entry into force and implementation of the Paris Agreement, and calls for joint adherence to the agreement and not giving up on it,” said Liu, referring to the international climate treaty that aims to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
That extra coal capacity was on track to increase global coal mine methane levels by more than 10 per cent, according to analysis by Global Energy Monitor, a San Francisco-based energy think tank.
“We need China to deliver on its methane plan,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.
Work between the US and China to deliver on the agreement forged last November was “intensifying”, according to the official, who said that Washington’s climate envoy John Kerry and Xie had met “multiple times” over the past month.
But while they applauded China’s commitment to address methane pollution, the official expressed concern that Beijing’s nationally-determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement “doesn’t yet actually address all greenhouse gases”.
In its most recent NDC submitted to the United Nations last year, China pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
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While Biden has sought to galvanise global action to fight the climate crisis, he has failed to move the bulk of his climate agenda through Congress, with his signature Build Back Better Act stalling in December due to opposition from Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia.
“While some movement has occurred on some fronts, most big-ticket items have yet to get started or are still under deliberation in Congress,” researchers at Rhodium Group wrote on Thursday.
“Without ramped-up action across the board in the very near future, it will be increasingly difficult to envision a pathway to the 2030 target” set by Biden to reduce US greenhouse gases by 50 per cent below 2005 levels, the analysts said.
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As well as concerns over the US administration’s ability to implement adequately ambitious climate actions, Biden has faced an uphill struggle to convince other nations that the US can be trusted on climate action, following its retreat from the effort under former US President Donald Trump.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s meeting, Kerry said the administration was “working full time to make up for our absence of several years and determined to meet the climate crisis head on.”
