Reprinted from This Changes Everything
Good Timing
Timing isn't everything but it sure helps. After the mid-term elections, the mood in climate circles was getting pretty grim. We faced the prospect of a Republican-dominated House and Senate overturning emission controls, ramming through Keystone XL and elevating a climate denier (James Inhofe) to chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Already there was talk that upcoming UN climate negotiations were dead on arrival.
In this context, the US-China climate deal is a badly needed piece of good news. It signals that Barack Obama is willing to expend political capital fighting for his climate legacy.
It Makes It Harder For Republicans to Break Obama's Promises
The deal is also tactically smart: by tying the emission reduction targets of both countries together in a bilateral deal, the President is making sure that his successor will have to weigh any desire to break these commitments against the risks of alienating America most important trading partner. That's smart.
It Robs Climate Obstructionists of Their Best Argument
Most significantly, commitments made by China under the deal take away what has historically been the most effective argument in defense of climate negligence in the US: "Why should we stop polluting if China won't?" For the first time, China is committing to capping its emissions and acknowledging that there must be a limit to its coal-powered growth juggernaut.
It Shows that Movements Matter
The fact that both governments felt the need to make this pledge speaks to the growing power of social movements in China and the US demanding pollutions controls. In the US, 350,000 people marched in NYC in September demanding action. In China, soaring air pollution levels in major cities have put unprecedented pressure on the governing party to stop relying on coal. Particularly in the context of the Hong Kong protests, the Chinese government cannot afford to ignore public opinion.
The Deal Will Galvanize North American Movements Against Tar Sands Pipelines and Coal Export Terminals
