Climate negotiations solve climate change and de-escalates US-China relations—that solves case

Thom Woodroofe, "A Partnership to Save the Planet," Foreign Policy, 12-15-2022, https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/04/19/china-united-states-climate-change-cooperation/-- 嘉玮

The reason a formally established framework is important is because it creates trust and an evidence base, which then lays the groundwork for practical cooperation. In the Obama era, that working group came over time to have nine work streams (vehicles; smart grids; carbon capture, utilization, and storage; energy efficiency measures; emissions data; forests; cities; fuel switching; and green ports and vessels), and both sides were supported by research agencies. In the case of the United States, that was the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and for China, the Energy Research Institute. These agencies helped ensure eyes remained squarely on the substance and not the politics. In 2023, agricultural policy, food-waste management, and electric vehicles should be added to that list at least. By identifying specific new projects, initiatives, or other areas for cooperation across these fields, both countries will be free to focus on the essence of the problem rather than the politics.

Ultimately, there is no binary choice to be made between cooperation and competition on climate. As the new U.S. National Security Strategy smartly highlights, what’s best for the planet (and the United States) is likely both, in careful balance. But we must protect the process from the geopolitics of the day. This is also why climate remains the best path for a wider stabilization effort, compared to, say, nuclear disarmament, the global economy, or even pandemic management. None of those are as bereft of politics as climate cooperation can be. Yet absent an agreed framework for this technical cooperation, such engagement remains piecemeal, anchored at the political level, and highly vulnerable to the strategic circumstances of the day.

Creating the political space for both countries to get back to where they were in the middle of 2022, prior to Pelosi’s visit, is the critical task ahead. Competing on climate will only get the two countries so far. Cooperating on climate could help save the planet, and it could also be the strategic guardrail that helps save the broader U.S.-China relationship from careering off the tracks.