WWF Statement on Joint Declaration Between the United States and China at COP26

In response to the announcement of a joint declaration between China and the United States on enhancing climate action in the 2020s, Genevieve Maricle, director of US climate policy action at WWF, issued the following statement:

“The unexpected and welcome joint declaration between the United States and China represents an important commitment between the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. No less relevant in the context of this agreement, they are also the two largest economies in the world. Between them they have the power to unlock vast financial flows from the public and private sectors that can speed the transition to a low carbon economy.

“This announcement comes at a critical moment at COP26 and offers new hope that, with the support and backing of two of the world’s most critical voices, we may be able to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees. But we must also be clear eyed about what is still required if the two countries are to deliver the emission reductions necessary in the next nine years. 1.5C-alignment will require a whole-of-economy response. For the United States, the next steps must be to push for the most ambitious possible outcome at COP26, for Congress to secure passage of the Build Back Better bill, and to align the full power of the entire U.S. federal government with the contributions of non-federal institutions across society. These tasks will set the stage as we pivot to implementing the Paris Agreement and we begin to look ahead at the potential of this partnership between these two countries to address the climate crisis with real, meaningful results during this critical decade.”