U.S., EU kickstart renewed climate change cooperation with first call

(Reuters, 21 Jan 2021) The U.S. and EU - the world's second and third-largest emitters - aim to work together to lead climate action on the global stage.

U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry and European Union climate policy chief Frans Timmermans on Thursday held their first call under the new U.S. administration, kicking off renewed transatlantic cooperation on tackling global warming.

After four years without U.S. federal leadership on climate change under former President Donald Trump, the United States and the EU - the world's second and third-largest emitters of greenhouse gases, respectively - are now seeking to combine their diplomatic firepower to convince other big polluters to take urgent action to safeguard the planet.

A European Commission spokesperson said Timmermans had "discussed our ambitions to work with the U.S. and other partners to raise global ambition at COP26 in Glasgow."

The United Nations climate summit in November, known as COP26, serves as a deadline for nearly 200 countries to submit a national plan to curb emissions faster this decade.

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Reuters, 21 Jan 2021: U.S., EU kickstart renewed climate change cooperation with first call