After years of pursuing global emission reductions through multilateral agreements, more confrontational tides in international relations, intensified by U.S.-China rivalry, might unexpectedly drive stronger climate action. A great power competition for leadership in green technology and future market dominance could ultimately favor the climate.

The advent of plastic mulch has electrified agricultural output globally, with China leading the way in its application. Sadly, plastic fragments are now heavily polluting China’s agricultural soils. New regulations within the 14th five-year plan set out to greatly restrict the use of the ultra-thin plastic and protect China’s soil.

The world is largely off track in terms of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. But China’s Global Development Initiative and Belt and Road Initiative can work together for a better future.

Cooperation on this important issue will pave the way for joint efforts to overcome other global challenges. The wholehearted cooperation of China and the United States is essential for the success of any effort to solve global challenges. It is time for concerted action, not squabbling.

Areas with a high concentration of energy-intensive industry — in particular those that are fast-growing and emission heavy — will be hardest hit. In response, the central government should step up its efforts to help these areas embrace carbon neutrality through such means as carbon quota trading.

U.S. President Joe Biden is making a run at renewing America’s global leadership on climate governance. The World Earth Day summit provided an inflection point that attracted attention from around the world.

Four years ago, Donald Trump rashly withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement. Under President Joe Biden it has returned, but it needs to do more. Kerry’s visit with his Chinese counterpart was a good start.

China’s pledge in September to pursue carbon neutrality by 2060 was followed by a similar pledge from Japan a month later. With these commitments being made at a time when the US has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, it is easy to interpret them as part of the ongoing geopolitical competition for global leadership. But managing climate change is not a zero-sum game. Here, national competition to strengthen ambitions and policies benefits everyone.

Can China’s green initiatives and the Green New Deal in the United States work in harmony? With both countries committed to a transition to new energy, it is more important than ever for them to communicate.

Chronic water shortages have become an entrenched issue around the world. In China and the United States, desalination solutions are being applied to replenish precious water supplies.