China-US climate funds spat continues
In unusually blunt language, Mr He said he was “shocked” by US climate envoy Todd Stern’s comments earlier this week that China shouldn’t expect any American climate aid money and that the US was not in any debt to the world for its historical carbon emissions. “I don’t want to say the gentleman is ignorant,” said Mr He. “I think he lacks common sense where he made such a comment vis-a-vis funds for China. Either lack of common sense or extremely irresponsible.” The world’s two biggest greenhouse polluters have been exchanging barbs this week about the sincerity of their pledges to fight climate change. In China’s view, the US and other rich countries have a heavy historical responsibility to cut emissions and any Copenhagen deal should take into account a country’s level of development.
China is grouped with the developing nations and has vowed to cut “carbon intensity” by 40%-45% by 2020, compared with 2005 levels.
