China and the US, the world’s largest polluters, have drafted a five-part plan to cut their carbon emissions, pledging to make heavy-duty vehicles more efficient and do more to limit the output from coal-fired plants.
Although the plan, which is set to be implemented from October, is not binding, it could bolster efforts for new co-ordinated international action to tackle climate change.
“Every time the US and China co-operate . . . it has a very positive impact on the tenor and the mood of international interactions and discussions and negotiations,” said Todd Stern, the Obama’s administration’s top climate change envoy, after a meeting between American and Chinese officials ended on Wednesday.