The President of the United States, Kamala Harris, proposed this Saturday to establish a common goal to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector in the economies of the Forum for Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific (APEC, in English), whose annual summit of leaders en Bangkok.
According to a communiqué from the Casa Blanca, given that almost all APEC members have committed to net zero or carbon neutrality, Harris also suggested that the forum establish a target to reduce methane emissions.
“Además told the leaders that the United States would present a new initiative on a just energy transition”, said the note.
At a ceremony where, in the name of the United States, formally accepted the organization of APEC in 2023 after the cycle presided over by Thailand, Harris told the leaders of the other 20 economies of the bloc that “the United States will use this APEC host year to establish new and ambitious goals of sustainability”.
On Friday, the US vice president announced that the seat of the next APEC summit would be the city of San Francisco, California, a “city known for its economic innovation”.
“During our host year, the United States will continue to focus on sustainable economic growth, building on the solid foundation that Thailand has established in 2022. In particular, we will work with the economies of APEC to make new commitments to sustainability and decarbonization”, she said.
The leaders of the 21 economies of the Forum for Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific, which includes the United States and Russia, concluded their summit on Saturday with an unexpected joint statement, in which the majority” of the members condemned the “aggression” of Russia, although the text recognizes that there exist “other points of view”.
Created in 1989, APEC covers 2,900 million people – 38% of the world’s population -, with a combined GDP of 53 billion dollars -equivalent to 61% of the global GDP – and a trade valued at 24 billion dollars, almost To install half of the world trade.