China, climate change and the shared self-interest behind carbon cuts
- Even if they don’t work together, China and the US will have a common vulnerability to changes in the climate
- China is taking steps to cut emissions but it has its own reasons for doing so
The target is possible but without input from China it will not be within reach.
Under a high-emissions scenario, the world may warm by up to 5.7 degrees Celsius by the end of this century compared to pre-industrial levels.
But if countries took aggressive action to curb emissions in this decade, the increase could be limited to 1.6 degrees Celsius by mid-century and 1.4 degrees Celsius by 2100, the report said.
As the world’s largest carbon emitter China will be central to those efforts, experts say. But the big question is how much it will be in its own interest.
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Global warming dangerously close to being out of control: US climate report
China has already set a target for cutting carbon emissions growth and developing cleaner technologies.