John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, had traveled to Beijing in hopes of persuading officials there to start reducing China’s carbon emissions on a faster timeline. But after three days of talks, Kerry emerged without any new agreements.
In fact, Xi Jinping, China’s president, insisted in a speech that his country would pursue its goals to phase out carbon dioxide pollution at its own pace — and in its own way. China would not act “under the sway of others,” he said.
Still, Kerry insisted he was not disappointed. He said that just talking showed progress. “We had very frank conversations, but we came here to break new ground,” he said, adding, “It is clear that we are going to need a little more work.”
Analysis: Xi’s comments suggested that tensions between the U.S. and China were making it difficult to work together on the climate crisis.
Comparisons: The U.S. and China are the two biggest polluters. Here’s how their climate policies stack up.
Extreme heat:
The first two weeks of July were very likely the the hottest on record.
Spain, facing a future of drought amid extreme heat, is reviving a network of water channels created by the Moors more than 1,000 years ago.
– The New York Times
