“Mr. Obama announced that the United States would emit 26 percent to 28 percent less carbon in 2025 than it did in 2005. […] China’s pledge to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030, if not sooner, is even more remarkable.”
This is great as a stepping stone towards future agreements for real reductions, as it shows that actual international agreement among major players is possible, but the limits placed on China are far from enough, as this graph shows:
In any case it is clear that China’s larger motive is the need to reduce coal burning due to the severe health impacts, and any reductions in CO2 emissions are largely a nice side effect.
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