U.S. President Joe Biden criticized leaders of China and Russia for not attending the UN Climate Change Summit COP26.
In a speech about the climate summit, Biden hailed commitments made at the conference by leaders worldwide, and labeled climate change a “gigantic issue” that China and Russia “walked away” from. He called their non-attendance a “big mistake.”
More than 120 leaders attended COP26. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were not among them. Both countries sent delegations to the talks, but many criticized the leaders’ refusal to attend themselves.
China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide by a landslide, followed in order by the United States, the European Union, India, and Russia.
At COP26, Biden unveiled a pledge to cut methane by 30 percent by 2030. The US-led alliance includes 90 countries, but China, India, Russia, and Australia have noticeably not committed.
Another key COP26 pledge is one to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Both China and Russia have signed this pledge. Putin virtually addressed a meeting on forest management at the COP summit to say that Russia will take the most vigorous measures to conserve woodlands.
Beijing’s climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua has called for an aim of 2°C rather than 1.5°C for a global warming goal. World leaders have said this is an example of China trying to undermine COP26.
China and Russia have both said they aim to reach climate neutrality by 2060. Carbon neutral means not adding to the amount of emissions in the atmosphere.
COP26’s goals included asking countries to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets to reach net zero by the middle of this century.
COP26 runs for two weeks from Nov. 1-12. Many of the world leaders, however, have left or are soon to. Delegations will remain at COP through the entirety of the summit.
Be the first to comment