Climate Special 1: Why NewsChina Puts 0ut Special Issue on China-US Climate Coop

Today, we’re launching our new series of podcasts on China-US Climate Cooperation. Our 20-episode series will feature climatology experts and policy makers from both countries and cover everything from carbon dioxide capture facilities to the establishment of national parks. 

Transcript

Why NewsChina Puts 0ut This Special Issue on China-US Climate Cooperation

Today, we’re launching our new series of podcasts on China-US Climate Cooperation. Our 20-episode series will feature climatology experts and policy makers from both countries and cover everything from carbon dioxide capture facilities to the establishment of national parks. 

In human history, threats of complete destruction to societies often generated cooperation, even between rivals, while calculations of relative gains from common interests made cooperation difficult. Now, the climate crisis sees everyone aboard the same sinking boat, which ought to make the case for cooperation, especially between the world's two biggest economies, emitters and competitors, China and the US.

We are all on the same warming planet. The Earth's surface has gotten warmer in each of the past five decades. This increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events and affects the most fundamental of human needs, food and health. Strong winds and floods have swept lives and homes away, even in cities with well-developed infrastructure, while declining crop yields and rising food prices have more impact on underdeveloped areas, the US Department of Agriculture warns that it may force more Americans either into hunger or nutrient-poor but calorie-rich food. An article by Chinese scholars published in Nature predicts an increasing negative effect of rising minimum daily temperatures on China's crop production. Reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict higher mortality from cardio-respiratory diseases and subtropical or tropical diseases due to longer heat waves.

That more than 190 countries have signed up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the best testimony to the strong consensus and determination of the international community to tackle the human-induced climate crisis. A new industrial revolution in recent years, represented by renewable energy and Al, provides technical solutions. Yet real progress still falls short of the target to limit temperature rises to 2 degrees Centigrade.

China-US joint leadership will accelerate global efforts. The two have already made great progress on their own green transitions, but they could have gone far faster and further if their policy makers, businesses and researchers had more opportunities to work together. This would attract and encourage more investment, capital and political support from other countries, which would in turn create more economic and social opportunities and dynamics to boost a global green transition. In addition, these huge flows and exchanges of people, capital and ideas boost mutual understanding and a broader vision of human society, making peace and prosperity more attainable. 

The stage is set for better and more China-US climate cooperation. Geopolitical tensions, the biggest obstacle to cooperation, can be turned into a driving force for cooperation. Both powers have repeatedly reiterated their willingness to prevent this competition from escalating into confrontation and conflicts. More opportunities for cooperation are needed, and there is no more pressing issue than the climate crisis to provide this. The shared threat to humanity's survival should overcome any geopolitical considerations. Indeed, climate cooperation was identified by both countries as a new bright spot in bilateral relations when geopolitical tensions began to rise as the US declared its “Pivot to Asia” strategy to deal with China as a rival. 

Multilateral and bilateral platforms for climate cooperation are already in place. They should continue to propose terms of cooperation and competition during negotiations at the annual UN-led climate meetings and the China-US climate dialogue. A new China-US working group on climate action has been in operation since early 2024. 

Non-state actors from the two countries have become a very strong force in tackling the climate crisis within and beyond their borders. Their efforts prove that addressing the climate crisis improves, not reduces, the immediate and long-term well-being of humanity. Businesses have heavily invested in and profited from the new energy and Al sectors. Non-profit environmental organizations have a much bigger voice than ever before. Scholars are pushing forward the frontiers of environmental sciences. Thanks to media reports and social media posts, the public are much better informed.

Many may think it is prudent to put green investment and climate cooperation plans on hold until there are better chances of higher returns. It will mean dimmer hopes of addressing the climate crisis and weaker momentum for peace and prosperity. Neither is affordable for humanity on this warming planet and turbulent world.

This is why we believe it is the right time to call for more cooperation, and we greatly appreciate all of our interviewees who chose to speak out. Time is critical. We hope more voices will be heard.

Special Issue on China-US Climate Cooperation

Starting from today, we will release 20 stories about China-US climate change cooperation in the upcoming five months, one story aired each Friday. We believe that climate action needs more than just agreements – it demands economic, political and social momentum. So, we had exclusive interviews with a number of leading climate change experts and policy makers both in China and the US who are doing their utmost to build that momentum. 

Our interviewees included Li Gao, China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and the Environment, who among other things coordinated the Chinese government delegation for UN climate change negotiations, led the construction and launch of China’s carbon emissions trading market and helped implement international climate change treaties. 

We also spoke with Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, who has participated in the multilateral climate negotiations as a leader and key member of multiple Chinese delegations, and Todd Stern, who served as US Special Envoy for Climate from January 2009 until April 2016 and was US President Barack Obama’s chief climate negotiator. 

In our interview with Zou Ji, an internationally renowned climate and environmental economist, he shared with us some insights on how China and the US must reach consensus on the opportunities presented by low-carbon development and what a healthy competition can do in tackling the climate crisis. 

Through the course of these interviews, Chinese and US experts unpack climate consensus, current challenges and the stakes for global progress.

These 20 podcasts also cover topics including Sino-US national park-related cooperation, subnational climate collaboration between the two countries, methane emission reduction, low-carbon buildings, carbon dioxide capture, and prospects for Sino-US climate cooperation. From emissions cuts to conservation, projects are paving the way for lasting China-US cooperation.

Well, that’s the end of our first episode on China-US Climate Cooperation. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Li Jia, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.