China and the U.S. continue to have a moderate level of disagreement on issues related to verification, namely “measurable, reportable, and verifiable” or MRV as the parlance has developed. China says it isn’t opposed to MRV for actions that receive international financing, technology or capacity building support, which is actually a good thing. International monies and projects should be fully transparent and accountable. The U.S. disagreement stems from the fact that China has already implemented climate change actions since 2005 that are internally funded. If text currently being debated is put in place, those projects wouldn’t be subject to international scrutiny, which I agree would be a bad thing. National sovereignty is one aspect of this struggle, but so is international dependencies. Some nations will literally be swallowed by the seas soon. Those nations rightfully want to ensure that every other nation is doing what they say they’re doing (and legally bound to do by treaty).
Weatherdem's Weblog
Bridging climate science, citizens, and policy
