China Now Serious About Climate Change

The government of China is now ready to do its part to address global climate change, as long as the West does theirs, according to British Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband.

Miliband has just concluded a trip to China, in which he engaged officials in discussions about China’s part in contributing to global warming.

Following the trip, Mr Miliband says he is persuaded that Beijing is serious about keeping the global warming level below the 2C mark.

According to the Climate Change Secretary, China’s shift is partly due to the new administration of Barack Obama in the United States.

President Obama has committed the U.S. to reducing its emissions to 1990 levels within the next decade.

In the past, the government in China has expressed its view that Western nations such as the U.S. have not accepted their part of the burden of reducing worldwide carbon emissions.

In the past several months, China has announced several new initiatives, including investing a large chunk of the nation’s £400bn stimulus package into environmental projects.

They’ve also announced subsidies for low-energy light bulbs, and increased government orders for electric cars for energy research.

Chinese officials especially hope that developed nations can reach an agreement in December to replace the Kyoto treaty, a treaty in which each nation pledges to make significant strides in reducing carbon emissions.

Despite the fact that China is sounding more flexible, Mr. Miliband says its official negotiating position remains the same.

Nevertheless, it is believed to be setting up targets beyond 2020 concerning the lowering of the country’s carbon emissions.