China plays big climate role on global stage

Editor's note: On the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, tells China Daily's Cui Shoufeng how the global fight against climate change should move forward after the United States' withdrawal from the climate accord. Excerpts follow:

Will the US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement dampen global efforts to combat climate change? What differences could it make?

The US' announcement that it intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is unfortunate and defies common sense. However, global momentum for climate action remains remarkably strong. We have seen no evidence that countries are stepping back on their efforts to implement the Paris Agreement. On the contrary, many countries' efforts are accelerating. Even the remaining countries that had not joined the agreement (Syria and Nicaragua) have now joined it, leaving the US as the only country backing out of the agreement. The reason is that there is now a clear understanding that strong climate action is good for countries' economies, security and people.