THE UNITED STATES VERSUS CHINA: A COMPARISON OF CLIMATE COMMITMENTS AND RELATIVE SUCCESS UNDER THE PARIS AGREEMENT

China and the United States are respectively the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world. The human production of carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases, mainly associated with the burning of fossil fuels, has led to an increase in the average global surface temperature. To combat climate change, both the United States and China entered the Paris Agreement in late 2015 and made commitments aimed at reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. While the United States is working towards reducing emissions per capita, China’s current goal is to peak emissions with all best efforts by the year 2030. Pre-existing policies in both countries suggest that they should be able to reach their goals, but China’s rising emissions per capita will likely eclipse the levels in Europe and possibly reach the same very high level as the United States.