US and China to cut their large share of greenhouse gas

The US and Chinese presidents agreed last week, bilaterally, to reduce their emissions.

This is important, because they account between them, for 45% of greenhouse-gas emissions, and they had not, hitherto, been leading contributors to climate-change policy.

China, as an ‘undeveloped’ economy, had not been obliged to meet any targets under Kyoto, and the US was a sceptical participant (the Kyoto agreement was never ratified by the US Congress).