US climate change envoy says China, US working closer than ever in carbon negotiations
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man wears a mask on the streets of Beijing Friday, March 20, 2015. A U.S. envoy for climate change said Friday that China and the U.S. are working more closely than ever ahead of a conference this year in Paris that raises hopes for a global plan to cut greenhouse emissions. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) (The Associated Press)
The U.S. special envoy for climate change says China and the U.S. are working more closely than ever to agree on key issues ahead of a major conference to be held in Paris later this year.
Special Envoy Todd Stern said Friday in Beijing that he still expects all countries to hold hard negotiations to develop a plan to reduce carbon emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change.
In response to a reporter's question, Stern said he hadn't seen any sign from his Chinese counterparts that they planned to advance the rough 2030 deadline China announced in November for peaking its carbon emissions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}China is the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, with the U.S. a distant second.