US-China Climate Cooperation: What Do the Experts Expect?

• In Event: Environmental Governance in China

Abstract

Both the US and Chinese governments have enacted significant legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in a joint statement at the Glasgow COP in 2021 they agreed to resume bilateral work. This commitment was then reiterated and expanded upon at Sunnylands in 2023, leading to improved cooperation at the Dubai COP. Nevertheless, actual bilateral cooperation has barely begun. What that cooperation should be, and whether both sides share views on specifics is still unclear. Both countries have advanced significantly, both in policy terms and in technical capabilities since joint work on the climate issue began in the 1990s and even from when it was phased out during the Trump administration. In a joint survey with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development we survey those who have been involved in international climate study and cooperation to assess what they think has been effective in the past and what might be effective for the future of US-China climate cooperation. The survey asks respondents to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of cooperation, both public and private, that has been conducted in the past and then asks them which types they think can work in the future given changes in both countries. The paper will consider whether there are important differences in views among respondents of different nationalities and types of employment. It will also examine how the respondents’ views on climate change and on economic regulation affect their overall responses.

Authors

• Deborah Seligsohn, Villanova University

• Bin Hu, Tsinghua University