Arriving in China, President Obama Promotes Climate Legacy

“The joint announcement between the USA and China means that the commitments contained in the Paris Agreement are set to become real laws in major economies”, said Nigel Topping, CEO of the We Mean Business coalition of green business groups.

Once 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of emissions formally ratify the agreement struck in Paris last December, it will be enforced.

Average temperatures had risen 0.85 degrees by 2012. The media aide was reportedly instructing global reporters gathered to record Obama disembarking from the aircraft to stand behind a rope line to make note of the president’s interaction without any disruption.

There have been calls for countries to ratify the deal as soon as possible, so it can be adopted earlier than the planned 2020 start date, to meet the urgent need to tackle climate change.

Speaking to reporters in Hangzhou, Mr. Trudeau said his government had done “exceptional work” to help attain global consensus on the deal late a year ago.

May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, an organisation that works to bring environmental groups together to affect change, said: “The Paris Agreement could be the next nail in the coffin of the fossil fuel industry if governments actually follow through on their commitments”. That meeting took place in March.

Obama, attending his last gathering of the world’s 20 major economies before stepping down in January, wants to stress the urgency of curbing global climate change and to urge other leaders to use fiscal policy to boost economic growth. “Even six months ago, this seemed an impossible idea”.

The two leaders also underlined the importance of cooperation in combatting terrorism, with Xi expressing China’s support for Turkey in its fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Group (FETO), which is accused of fomenting the July 15 failed coup that left 240 people martyred and almost 2,200 injured.

China has gone to great lengths to try to make the Sept 4-5 G20 summit a success, hoping to cement its standing as a global power, but a range of thorny diplomatic topics could overshadow the agenda.

Mr. Trudeau acknowledged on Saturday more work remains to be done before Canada can ratify the Paris agreement.

In China, meanwhile, a slowing economy and a slow transformation away from heavy industry have prompted some observers to suggest its emissions have already begun to decline.

The two leaders, who held a bilateral meeting Saturday before the opening of the G-20 summit, also agreed to partner on limiting pollution from worldwide aviation and hydrofluorocarbons.

In a statement, she also cautioned against being too optimistic: “While people celebrate the agreement, let’s remember there is still a unsafe gap between what the governments are signing up to, what they are doing, and the real ambition we need to avert the worst impacts of climate change”.

China’s leadership sees common goal in battling emissions and sparking new forms of economic growth.

“Important progress was also made in fighting cyber crimes, coping with the Ebola epidemic in Africa, and facilitating a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue”, Xinhua cited Xi as saying on US-China cooperation.

He added: “Green mountains and clear water are as good as mountains of gold and silver”.