5 things to know about the suspension of U.S.-China climate talks
The United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies and greenhouse gas emitters, are no longer talking about their mutual efforts to slow the Earth’s catastrophic warming.
Beijing halted climate cooperation with Washington on Aug. 5, as it announced a raft of measures in retaliation for the visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Taiwan.
Experts on international climate diplomacy are still parsing the practical implications of the pause in talks, which comes less than 100 days before the next United Nations climate summit in Egypt.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29