If there’s one accepted truth in reporting and foreign-policy analysis on climate change, it’s that the United States and China need to “work together.” According to The Associated Press, avoiding the worst of climate change is “all but impossible unless these countries work together.” Todd Stern, who was President Barack Obama’s climate envoy, wrote in September 2020 that if Joe Biden “wins the election in November, it will be vital to again work effectively with China on climate change.” Former California Gov. Jerry Brown said that “Biden’s priority should be to work with China on climate change.” But it’s not clear that that’s actually true. Competition may be a more powerful force than cooperation when it comes to actually saving the planet.
To be sure, success in the global effort against climate disruption requires the United States and China, the world’s biggest emitters, to cut emissions at home, as well as help and push other countries to do the same. However, both countries have the required capacity, money, and technology to do so without relying on the other.
