China admits it is biggest polluter
Beijing, Nov. 23: China acknowledged on Tuesday that it is the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, as it called on the United States to ensure climate change talks opening next week make progress.
Speaking at a briefing ahead of the UN talks in Mexico, Mr Xie Zhenhua, China’s top climate change official, told reporters: “Our emissions volume now stands at number one in the world.”
His comments appeared to be the nation’s first public recognition of the fact.
Up to now, Chinese officials had not clearly acknowledged the nation’s world-leading emissions, which had nevertheless been confirmed by scientists and international organisations such as the International Energy Agency.
They preferred to emphasise the need to use emissions per capita — where China is far behind developed countries — as a benchmark.
The November 29 to December 10 talks in the Mexican resort of Cancun are set to open with deep rifts between developed and developing nations, mainly China and the United States — the two biggest sources of carbon emissions.
The United States wants China to commit to emissions cuts but Beijing argues that it and other developing nations should be exempt from such curbs as they need to grow their economies and lift people from poverty.
It also notes that the emissions of industrialised, mainly Western, are historically responsible for the build-up of carbon.
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