US and China agree 'historic' climate change deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions

President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping met after the Apec summit

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the end of their news conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing November 12, 2014. (Reuters)

The US and China have announced ambitious new targets for curbing emissions at a meeting in Beijing, following urgent calls from the scientific community to tackle climate change.

Speaking at a press conference in the Chinese capital today, President Barack Obama described the deal as “historic”, setting the US the goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2025, compared to 2005 levels. The country’s previous goal was to cut its emissions by 17 per cent before 2020.

Chinese President Xi JinPing said China – now the world’s biggest polluter, by far – had not set a specific target, but would cap its emissions by 2030. Together, the two countries produce approximately 45 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. It is hoped that the surprise deal will encourage others to sign up to similar targets ahead of a global summit on climate change in Paris next year. “We agreed to make sure that international climate change negotiations will reach an agreement in Paris,” Mr Xi told reporters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Barack Obama, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Apec summit (Xinhua)

Mr Obama’s state visit to Beijing followed on from the major regional summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (Apec). Before the summit, the Chinese authorities ordered factories to close and Beijing residents to drive their cars only every other day, in a bid to alleviate the city’s suffocating smog levels for the benefit of visiting world leaders.

The Asian giant’s carbon emissions are still rapidly increasing to meet the demands of its ballooning economy, but at today’s press conference Mr Xi also unveiled plans to ensure at least 20 per cent of the country’s energy comes from alternative sources by 2030. It is the first time China has set a date for capping its emissions.

“This is a major milestone in the US-China relationship and it shows what’s possible when we work together on an urgent challenge,” Mr Obama said, adding that the US would help to “slow, peak and then reverse the course of China’s carbon emissions.”

Though climate experts welcomed the news, the agreement was quickly criticised by Republicans in Washington, who have promised to reverse Mr Obama’s environmental agenda when they take control of both houses of Congress from January. The GOP’s incoming Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said in a statement, “This unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs.”

The pact came after the close of the Apec summit, which saw leaders from 21 member nations including South Korea, Brunei and Chile converge on Beijing. Politicians attempted to put historic rivalries and current tensions aside as they focused on international trade.

Chinese censors went into overdrive to present a squeaky-clean image of the Government, beaming cheery pictures of the Chinese leader surrounded by delegates across the country.

But the perils of over-friendliness were demonstrated by Vladimir Putin, when footage of his apparently chivalrous gesture of draping a shawl around President Xi’s wife’s shoulders went viral on the Chinese version of Twitter.

Chinese news sites pulled the video within hours, according to Foreign Policy, and censors scrubbed it from Weibo in an apparent attempt to shut down any unflattering gossip.

Air pollution data also appeared to have been censored after weeks of efforts to temporarily combat Beijing’s notorious smog and analysts will be keeping a close eye on the Chinese Government's measures of progress in the US pact.