Biden Climate Czar, CCP Official To Discuss Climate Cooperation Amid Chinese Coal Binge

White House senior adviser John Podesta is set to meet with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials to expand US-China collaboration on climate change, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Podesta and China’s special envoy for climate change Liu Zhenmin are slated to meet during the first week of September to discuss reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing funding for climate initiatives in developing nations, according to the outlet. The talks follow efforts to Trump-proof environmental collaboration efforts between the two nations and come despite China continuing to hike coal production.

⚡Energy officials will use the meeting to continue working on climate initiatives agreed on by the countries in November 2023, such as promoting a transition to renewable ⚡Energy sources and combatting greenhouse gas emissions beyond carbon dioxide, Bloomberg reported.

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The Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen climate ties with China come despite the country’s continued coal binge, with a Wednesday report from Reuters finding China has boosted both domestic coal production and coal imports to record highs. The two nations previously agreed to reduce methane and nitrogen oxide emissions, both of which are associated with coal.

The discussion between Podesta and Zhenmin also comes amidst efforts from the White House to Trump-proof its climate collaborations with China, with the countries attempting to use non-governmental organizations to sustain their environmental partnerships in case former President Trump wins in November and U.S.-China relations cool, according to Bloomberg.

“It will be important for John Podesta to do as much as possible given the short amount of time that’s really left in this administration,” Joanna Lewis, an international policy expert at Georgetown University, told Bloomberg.

Last year, the U.S. and China agreed to work together to try and keep United Nations temperature targets within reach in a way that reflects “equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances,” as stated in the 2016 Paris Agreement. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement in November 2020, only for President Joe Biden to rejoin it on his first day in office via an executive order.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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