The United States and China’s New Climate Change Commitments

The document analyzes the 2014 U.S.-China climate agreement, detailing the specific emissions targets for both nations and their plans to transition away from coal toward renewables and natural gas. It discusses the diplomatic significance of the deal for the 2015 Paris negotiations and the specific pressures it places on Canada to increase its own climate ambitions and regulate its oil and gas sector.

• The United States committed to reducing emissions by 26 to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025, which averages a reduction of 2.3 to 2.8 per cent per year between 2020 and 2025.
• China committed to peaking its emissions by 2030 and intends to promote non-fossil fuel energy generation to provide 20 per cent of its energy needs by 2030, requiring 800 to 1,000 gigawatts of zero-emission power generation.
• The agreement signals a global shift away from coal, with the U.S. estimating a 75 per cent reduction in coal-fuelled energy use by 2025 and China planning a national carbon trading market by 2016.
• The two nations pledged cooperation on several clean energy initiatives, including carbon capture, use and storage demonstrations, hydrofluorocarbons cooperation, a low-carbon cities initiative, and trade in green goods.
• While praised for its diplomatic symbolism and potential to drive the 2015 Paris agreement, some critics argue the deal lacks new binding limits and represents 'business as usual' for China.
• The agreement puts pressure on Canada to commit to deeper targets for its 2015 intended nationally determined contributions, as Canada's carbon exports may face constraints in approximately 85 per cent of its markets.

APA

Echeverría, D., & Gass, P. (2014). The United States and China’s New Climate Change Commitments. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/us-china-climate-change-commitments.pdf

Chicago

Echeverría, Daniella, and Philip Gass. The United States and China’s New Climate Change Commitments. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/us-china-climate-change-commitments.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Echeverría |first1=Daniella |last2=Gass |first2=Philip |title=The United States and China’s New Climate Change Commitments |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/us-china-climate-change-commitments.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{echeverra2014united, author = {Echeverría, Daniella and Gass, Philip}, title = {{The United States and China’s New Climate Change Commitments}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/us-china-climate-change-commitments.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }