US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) boosted their efforts to help other nations address climate change as fears over the environment and COVID-19 dominated the first day of the annual UN General Assembly.
In his speech at the UN on Tuesday morning, Biden took credit for sharing more than 160 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with other countries, including 130 million surplus doses and the first installments of more than 500 million shots that the US is purchasing for the rest of the world.
“Planes carrying vaccines from the United States have already landed in 100 countries, bringing people all over the world a little dose of hope,” Biden said.
Photo: AP
Xi, hours later in a prerecorded video, said that his country would stop building coal-fired power plants abroad, a move long sought by climate advocates.
“China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad,” Xi said.
At a briefing in Beijing yesterday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said that he would try to learn more from relevant departments about the details of Xi’s plan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the announcements by Biden and Xi, but said in a statement that “we still have a long way to go” to ensure that the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow next month “marks a turning point in our collective efforts to address the climate crisis.”
China’s pledge to stop building coal-fired power plants overseas could cull US$50 billion of investment, analysts said.
The announcement could affect 44 coal plants earmarked for Chinese state financing, totaling US$50 billion, US think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said.
That has the potential to reduce future carbon-dioxide emissions by 200 million tonnes per year, GEM added.
Environmental groups also said that it would force big coal financiers such as the Bank of China to draw up a timetable to withdraw from the sector.
Despite widespread optimism about Xi’s announcement, his carefully worded statement revealed few details and left room for existing projects to continue.
More than 20 Chinese-financed coal-fired power units are under construction in South Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates, data compiled by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center showed, while another 17 are in the planning stage.
The new commitment does not address China’s plans to expand its own coal-fired power plants.
Guterres decried the vaccine inequity that has left rich countries considering booster shots, as developing nations have barely started vaccinating their populations.
“Perhaps one image tells the tale of our times: The picture we have seen from some parts of the world of COVID-19 vaccines in the garbage, expired and unused,” he said. “It is an obscenity.”
World leaders made clear in advance that the US’ planned vaccine donations are not enough.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said that the “triumph” of speedy vaccine development was offset by political “failure” that produced inequitable distribution.
The WHO has long decried vaccine inequity between rich and poor countries, saying that only 15 percent of promised donations of vaccines — from rich countries that have access to large quantities of them — have been delivered.
Reviewing the mistrust and lack of unity that he says have undermined global efforts to address COVID-19 and climate, Guterres said: “Instead of the path of solidarity, we are on a dead end to destruction.”
While millions go hungry, they see “billionaires joyriding to space,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters and AP
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