The New York Times’ Dot Earth blog looks at prospects for cooperation between the U.S. and China on global warming issues once President-elect Obama takes office:
There’s a good chance Mr. Obama and China’s leaders could add substance to the outlines drafted under the Bush administration’s “Pacific overture.” Both have already announced big economic-stimulus packages to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into public-works and other labor-intensive projects, many related to boosting energy supplies or cutting energy waste. Mr. Obama stressed the environmental and energy benefits of his stimulus plan in a speech on Thursday and China last November.
Both Mr. Obama and leaders in Beijing have said a top priority is using energy more efficiently and advancing non-polluting technologies. China also released several recent reports laying out financial and technical means for allowing industrialized countries to help cut the climate impact from its energy use.
While members of the forming Obama administration are proscribed from discussing plans, people close to Mr. Obama’s inner circle on energy and environment told me there are, in fact, plans for prompt engagement and action between the two countries on these entwined issues.
See also “China’s environmentalist ways” fromthe San Francisco Chronicle.
