Climate of change: Chinese envoy Xie Zhenhua’s decade at the forefront of global warming talks
China’s chief negotiator at the Paris talks says the deal in the French capital is a fitting end to his career on the environmental front line
He’s not sure what the future holds but one thing from the past is certain: the deal sealed at last year’s Paris climate summit was a high-water mark in his environmental career.
Xie Zhenhua, 66, China’s special representative for climate change, said yesterday the deal was not perfect but it was a “consummate ending” to his professional life.
“I’ve taken part in climate change negotiations for about nine to 10 years. After all these years of negotiations, the monumental Paris agreement has drawn a satisfactory full stop to my ... work in this field,” he said.
In all, 195 nations signed the legally binding accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions as part of a push to cap rises in global temperature.
Xie warned that the toughest part of the deal – its implementation – was still to come.
But he was not sure how long he would continue on the front line of talks. “There are some uncertainties regarding where I will be in the future. It is all based on the country’s need,” he said.