Insight
Cop26: US and China issue joint declaration to fight climate crisis as negotiations window narrows
Negotiators from around the world are rushing to finalise a deal to make COP26 a success, ITV News Correspondent Rachel Younger reports
In an unexpected breakthrough tonight, the US and China announced a joint declaration, outlining their plans to work together to accelerate climate action.
After fears that ongoing tension between the two countries could derail this summit, this was a rare and perfectly timed moment of co-operation.
At a critical moment in negotiations, with just 48 hours to go, the world’s two biggest polluters coming together to promise action is a definite boost.
It’s notable too that the declaration promises to enhance "climate action in the 2020s," given that the next decade is absolutely critical in the fight to limit rising temperatures to 1.5 degrees.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
But the first draft of the deal being drawn up here at COP26 includes a historic first mention of fossil fuels, notably, a commitment to speeding up the phasing out of coal.
There’s a real fear here that the critical line will end up being removed because of opposition from the big coal producers.
Neither John Kerry, the US climate envoy nor his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua would be drawn on whether they would support its inclusion when I asked them tonight.
While the detail currently remains patchy, this joint declaration is without doubt hugely symbolic.
We’ll only find out when the final COP26 draft is published how committed both countries are to the pace of change that’s needed.