Chinese environmental officials held a “secret” meeting with members of the U.S. congress, without White House participation, about climate change agreements, according to Spiegel:
High-ranking sources close to the participants of the meeting between the Chinese delgation and Congress said the Chinese sought to find out how determined Congress is to push through rigorous climate protection laws in the future. During the discussion, members of Congress made clear that they would soon like to vote on legislation that would set binding emissions limits. However, the members of Congress said they didn’t provide the Chinese with a firm timeline for when this might happen.
Though meetings between foreign delegations and members of Congress without White House participation are common fare, this meeting is unusual because it underscores the degree of concern in China about America’s position of climate change. China, which is the world’s second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States, has long been able to use Washington’s refusal to undertake decisive climate protection measures as an excuse for its own foot-dragging. [Full text]
