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| Diana Lalata Class of 2017 |
Climate change has been a hot topic of concern in the media and on the agendas of many politicians seeking to foster better relations between the United States and China. When reflecting on the topic, my mind jumped immediately to images of busy streets in China’s megacities with crowds of people equipped with blue face masks to prevent the inhalation of China's "not-so-great" air quality. Many who have visited China, specifically past McConnell Scholar classes, have warned about the smog that covers Shanghai and Beijing, which makes it difficult to breathe, or on some days, to even see the full skyline of the city. Before coming to China, I knew little to nothing about China's climate change policies, much less the politics of climate change between China and the United States. After reading about and researching more on the topic of climate change in China, I gained a better understanding of the difficulties that lie behind legislating for a better environment.
The topic of climate change is fairly new to the international agenda, yet China and the United States have historically agreed on little in terms of climate change policy within the past few decades. In fact, the issue of climate change only began to be seen as an international security concern in 2007 when the United Nations called for a worldwide effort to place climate change at the top of political agendas. The United States and China were expected to take leadership in the project, having ranked within the top five countries for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and electricity usage. Thus, the United Nations prompted both countries to attempt to work together to create solid climate change policy. Although resolving the issue of climate change may seem simple on the surface, the politics behind the legislation prove otherwise.
According to Zhang Haibin in "Getting the Triangle Straight," one of the main underlying obstacles in working towards sustainable climate change policy that both China and the United States can agree on is the difference in the way China is perceived as either a "developing country" or a "developed country." The differentiation between the two categories determines the strategies in which the governments of either country take. China is categorized as a "developing country" by the government of the People's Republic of China while the United States views China as a "quasi-developed country." With these contrasting views, the United States believes China holds responsibility in improving the environment by cutting production, thus lessening the amount of CO2 and GHG emissions. On the other hand, the Chinese government believes the country, as a "developing country," might focus more on new green technology, stimulating more innovation rather than stopping production. The lack of consensus for effective environmental strategies has created a setback for both countries in climate change policy collaboration. However, Haibin believes there is hope in bridging the gap in climate change politics.
In recent news, China and the United States have progressed towards a more multilateral stance on climate change policy, as was seen by their declaration to move forward with the Paris Climate Change Accord this past April. Although it is difficult to predict that the two countries will agree on every aspect of climate change policy, I am excited to see China and the United States work cooperatively to make the Earth a better place.
Diana Lalata is a senior McConnell Scholar studying political science and English at the University of Louisville.