Source: CGTN America
Carnegie’s David Livingston joined CGTN’s Rachelle Akuffo to discuss the outcomes of the G-7 environment meeting focusing on the new role being played by the United States under a Trump administration. Livingston noted that the U.S. decision to not engage on climate may have backfired.
“It should be noted that the U.S. probably hoped to really hold things up by refusing to make progress on climate in this round of G-7 environment ministers talks, but it was reduced to simply . . . being a footnote at the bottom of the leaders declaration.”
Livingston pointed out that while the G-7 talks did yield needed progress on “greening of the global financial system,” that the United States and EU lag considerably behind China on these efforts. In fact, with U.S. leadership lagging on climate, Livingston says that China’s role as a leader on climate “is probably the great story of the next few decades.”
Referring to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord as essentially an “own goal,” Livingston points out that “China’s President, Xi Jinping met not with the energy secretary of the United States, but with California Governor Jerry Brown,” as China prepares for new ways to engage the world on climate.