LEWISTON, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, today welcomed the U.S.-China Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change released by President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which sets ambitious policy goals to reduce emissions in both countries and is another step forward in the work to reach a comprehensive global climate change agreement:

“The United States has both the opportunity and the responsibility to lead in the fight against climate change, but this is not a battle we can wage alone,” Senator King said. “To achieve any significant global climate victory will require the cooperation and collaboration from China and other industrialized countries across the world. I am very encouraged that China has signaled a willingness to take concrete steps to limit its emissions, and I hope that they follow through with their commitments in the coming years. This announcement is another positive step forward as we work toward a global agreement on climate change in Paris this December and strive to safeguard this planet for the benefit of generations to come.”

In the Joint Presidential Statement released today, China signaled its intention to launch a national emission trading system, commonly referred to as “cap and trade,” that would cover its power generation, steel, cement, and other key industrial sectors.  China also plans to implement a so-called “green dispatch” system that would give preference to low-carbon sources in its electric grid. These announcements represent some of the most concrete policies that China has unveiled in order to curb emissions and fight climate change.

Today’s announcement is the most recent development in the U.S. and China’s combined efforts to reduce global emissions and act on climate change. The two countries reached an historic but broad climate agreement last November, and the joint statement released today outlines several specific policy steps that each country plans to take in fulfilling the aims of last year’s agreement. The Joint Presidential Statement is seen as a stepping stone to a new global climate agreement between the U.S. and China that officials hope to conclude in Paris this December.

As a member of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, King has repeatedly called for the U.S. to lead in the fight against global climate change. He has previously spoken on the Senate floor about the practical effects and dangerous of a changing environment, including the impacts already being felt by Maine’s lobster and fishing industries and has cited the moral imperative to act to preserve the planet for future generations. 

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