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COP26: China says it does not want climate solutions held up by disagreement over global warming goal
- Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua says the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is a hurdle in Glasgow negotiations
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the 1.5 degree goal must be kept alive, requiring a 45 per cent cut to global emissions by 2030
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China does not want differences over specific climate targets to hold up action on bigger issues at COP26, according to Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua.
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Xie said a major hurdle at the talks had been the suggestion by some countries to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
That target is more ambitious than the one laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and pursue efforts to control it within 1.5 degrees.
“The target in the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees has achieved the consensus of all countries and has great inclusiveness,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xie as saying.
“China does not want to see [countries] negotiate and diverge at this conference because of resetting of goals, delaying the solving of issues that need to be resolved.”
Xie’s comments came at the start of the second and final week of climate negotiations in Glasgow, where countries are under pressure to find wider agreement on the final rules for the 2015 Paris Agreement and on financing to help vulnerable countries cope with climate change.
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