House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said Sunday that the U.S. is allowing China to skirt climate change pledges as the rest of the developed world moves to combat emissions.
The Texas Republican said that in the wake of the White House climate czar John F. Kerry’s visit to China, the U.S. should no longer allow the world’s biggest polluter to designate itself as a developing country to delay curbing emissions.
“This is not fair to treat them as a [developing country],” Mr. McCaul said on ABC’s “This Week.” “They’re the second largest economy superpower and the number one polluter on the planet. If we’re going to do this at all, do it right and make them comply to our terms.”
China has pledged to reach peak emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2060, while countries like the U.S. and others in the Paris climate agreement have agreed to achieve net zero by 2050.
Mr. Kerry said his overseas trip to meet with senior Chinese officials about climate change was productive but failed to produce any concrete action as the communist nation said it would not be dictated to about what it must do.
“My big objection is this: China should be held to the same standards. They are a developing nation under the U.N. charter, self-designated, and that enables them to defer compliance of the Paris agreements till 2060,” Mr. McCaul said.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.