Current:Home > NewsEU calls on China to stop building coal plants and contribute to a climate fund for poor nations-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
EU calls on China to stop building coal plants and contribute to a climate fund for poor nations
View Date:2024-12-23 20:39:54
BEIJING (AP) — The European Union’s top climate official said Thursday that China should stop building new coal-fired power plants and contribute to a global fund to help poor countries affected by climate change.
Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner, raised both issues in what he called intensive and open conversations with his Chinese counterparts ahead of U.N. climate talks opening in Dubai at the end of this month.
Europe and the U.S. have been arguing that wealthier emerging economies such as China and Saudi Arabia should also give money to the fund. Hoekstra said that what is true for the European Union and North America should be true for any country in a position of economic and geopolitical strength.
“And that means driving down emissions and doing your fair share in covering the bill for those who cannot,” he said.
Given the magnitude of the problem, “every single country with the ability to pay and the ability to contribute should contribute,” he said.
A statement issued by China’s environment ministry did not address the climate fund for poor countries. It said that Ecology and Environment Minister Huang Runqiu told Hoekstra that he is looking forward to working with the EU for a successful U.N. climate meeting. Success would help build a fair, reasonable, cooperative and win-win system to address climate change, he said.
Hoekstra welcomed recent moves by the Chinese government to begin to address methane gas emissions, another greenhouse gas, though he said more needs to be done.
China released a methane gas action plan last week and a joint U.S.-China climate statement issued this week included an agreement to work collectively on the methane issue.
Separately, European Union negotiators reached a deal this week to reduce methane emissions from the energy industry across the 27-nation bloc. Coal mines and oil and gas fields are major sources of the emissions, which experts say are the second biggest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide.
China has been on a coal power plant construction binge, particularly following electricity shortages in some parts of the country’s south during a heatwave and drought in the summer of 2022.
“Even though at times of scarcity, you might need to scale up a bit, that is a far cry from building new coal capacity,” Hoekstra said. “That is of course something we would rather not see and about which we are critical.”
___
Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
veryGood! (71)
Related
- 2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
- Eagles' Jason Kelce screams like a madman in viral clip from win over Cowboys
- Hungary has fired the national museum director over LGBTQ+ content in World Press Photo exhibition
- 30 people dead in Kenya and Somalia as heavy rains and flash floods displace thousands
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Why one survivor of domestic violence wants the Supreme Court to uphold a gun control law
- AP PHOTOS: Pan American Games feature diving runner, flying swimmer, joyful athletes in last week
- Steven Van Zandt says E Street Band 'had no idea how much pain' Bruce Springsteen was in before tour
- Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
- Russell Brand sued for alleged sexual assault in a bathroom on 'Arthur' set, reports say
Ranking
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Ukraine says 19 troops killed by missile at an awards ceremony. Zelenskyy calls it avoidable tragedy
- Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial
- 'We're going to see them again': Cowboys not panicking after coming up short against Eagles
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority president during West Bank trip
- NBA highest-paid players in 2023-24: Who is No. 1 among LeBron, Giannis, Embiid, Steph?
- Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial
Recommendation
-
OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone Speaks Out on Sex Cult Allegations Against Orgasmic Meditation Company
-
Prince William sets sail in Singapore dragon boating race ahead of Earthshot Prize ceremony
-
Eagles' Jason Kelce screams like a madman in viral clip from win over Cowboys
-
Blinken wraps up frantic Mideast tour with tepid, if any, support for pauses in Gaza fighting
-
Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
-
Sweltering summer heat took toll on many U.S. farms
-
Billy the Kid was a famous Old West outlaw. How his Indiana ties shaped his roots and fate
-
Memphis pastor, former 'American Idol', 'Voice' contestant, facing identity theft charges