US, China urged to align on climate issues over fears for clean energy progress
- ‘I very much hope that in the COP28 coming through, US and China … would leave aside their tensions – geopolitical and economic,’ said IEA chief
- Birol said the world was moving too slowly to meet the goals to limit global warming that the international community approved in Paris in 2015
The head of the International Energy Agency on Monday urged the United States and China to align on key issues at the COP28 climate summit later this year, warning that “geopolitical fractures” risk holding back the switch to clean energy.
“I very much hope that in the COP28 coming through, US and China, two largest emitters, would leave aside their tensions – geopolitical and economic,” Fatih Birol told Agence France-Presse in an interview on the sidelines of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
He called on the two global powers to “come closer” on climate.
“When I look at the future of energy and climate, I see that the best and most optimistic agenda is that clean energy is set to dominate the game,” he said.
But he said the world was moving too slowly to meet the goals to limit global warming that the international community approved in Paris in 2015.