Northern hemisphere suffering severe heatwave and record temperatures; John Kerry signals ‘big steps’ at Beijing talks; China evacuates thousands ahead of typhoon Talim

Extreme temperatures recorded across northern hemisphere

Joe Biden’s administration hopes to prod China to act more rapidly to curb its emissions, particularly from coal as well as methane, a potent greenhouse gas emitted during fossil fuel production and agricultural development. Kerry acknowledged that China is doing “an incredible job” of building out renewable energy such as wind and solar. “But on the other hand, we see new coal coming online, which undoes the benefit of that,” he said.

China, which leads the world in renewables as well as coal production, still retains broader unresolved grievances with the US, such as over trade and surveillance, but Xie said that the two countries would aim to “seek common ground while shelving our differences” during the climate talks.