the NOT so great climate deal between the US and China

taken from Uncommon Wisdom Daily
John Kerry called it “historic.“ A top environmentalist says it is “game-changing.“ President Obama thinks “the whole world“ will benefit. The new agreement for the U.S. and China to reduce their carbon emissions sounds like a big deal.
I'm sorry to spoil the party, but I actually read beyond the headlines. My conclusion: Whether you think carbon emissions are a problem or not, this deal doesn't match its hype.
You might even say it comes from “smoke and mirrors.“

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Back in September, I quoted a Brazilian official who, speaking at a United Nations climate change event, told the group, “This is New York, so cut the crap.“
I noted in the article that top Chinese officials were not in attendance. They were apparently listening though. China is finally talking about climate change.
Talking is about all China does, though.
The surprise carbon deal was the highlight of Obama's visit to Beijing this week. Nameless “senior officials“ portrayed it as the dramatic result of months of secret, intense negotiations.
So, what exactly are the two sides agreeing? Let's go to the source. You can read the official U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change at Whitehouse.gov.
Direct your attention to paragraph three of the announcement. I'm breaking it into smaller paragraphs for clarity.
3. Today, the Presidents of the United States and China announced their respective post-2020 actions on climate change, recognizing that these actions are part of the longer-range effort to transition to low-carbon economies, mindful of the global temperature goal of 2℃.
The United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26%-28% below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%.
China intends to achieve the peaking of CO2 emissions around 2030 and to make best efforts to peak early and intends to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20% by 2030.
Both sides intend to continue to work to increase ambition over time.
You could drive several freight trains through the loopholes in this statement, but let's take it at face value. What does the agreement accomplish? The answer may well be “nothing.“
The two presidents agreed on “post-2020 actions.“ While Xi Jinping might still be president of China in 2020, Barack Obama will be an ex-president. Nothing requires his successors to follow this agreement. Nothing requires Congress to help the president either.
Next, note that the two countries are not agreeing to the same thing. By 2025, the U.S. will reduce its carbon emissions to 26%-28% below their 2005 level.
Over that same period, China will reduce its carbon emissions by ... zero.
In fact, China gets to increase its emissions this year, next year, the year after, and every year until 2030.
At that point — sixteen years from now — China's emissions will “peak.“ They will not necessarily decline.
So, China gets to keep polluting, and actually pollute even more than it does now, as long as it starts reducing emissions by 2030.
That, they say, is a breakthrough.