China Announces First-Ever Emissions Cuts as US Denies Climate Change at UN Assembly

China, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, announced a new emissions reduction target yesterday at the UN General Assembly, while the US continued to deny the existence of climate change.

The United Nations General Assembly is the primary policy-making branch of the UN, hosting an annual meeting in September each year. This session continues through December before a quick winter break, with the assembly resuming in January and lasting until all agenda items have been addressed.

This year, in their 80th session, they have been emphasizing the need to end the raging wars across the globe, in addition to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals, established in 2015, set targets for 17 different goals that humanity must meet in order to achieve an optimal society for humans and the planet.

However, a rise in global emissions has hindered the world's progress towards multiple of these goals– carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases heavily impact the environment and contribute to the consistent warming of the entire planet.

Now, China – which has historically been the world's largest polluter – is taking action. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the UN General Assembly through a video appearance that they will attempt to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions by around 7-10% over the next 10 years, a major step forward for a country that has never intended to acknowledge their significant role in climate change at all.

Their goal, a reduction of 7-10%, may not appear huge, but China's massive emissions mean that any sort of cut could have significant implications for the environment. In 2023, China released around 12.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, making up around 35% of the world's carbon emissions for that year. If China was able to reduce that number by just 10% in 10 years, they could bring that number down by 1.26 gigatonnes by 2035. Additionally, China's goal is realistic and achievable, unlike goals that other countries have set for themselves but have been unable to meet them.

Meanwhile, the United States presented their view on the exact opposite side of the issue, with President Donald Trump calling climate change a massive "con job" and encouraging countries to minimize their usage of renewable energy. He also described the entire situation as a "green scam" and told other nations to buy fossil fuels from the United States instead of investing in renewable energy.

However, the US is largely alone on this viewpoint, with dozens of other major countries announcing brand-new pledges to reduce emissions. Renewable energy is growing all over the world due to its cheaper energy costs and lower environmental impact, including oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Norway.

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Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom. (Rumi)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Brandish (verb, BRAN-dish) - To brandish something, such as a weapon, is to wave or swing it in a threatening or excited manner.

In a Sentence: Squeals of laughter erupted as three children brandishing squirt guns rounded the corner of the house.

Image credit to European Commission