How China is seeking to lead by example in the fight against global warming
Nicholas Stern says other countries should learn from China's leadership in incorporating decarbonisation into its plans for economic development and growth


President Xi Jinping and President Francois Hollande on Monday issued a statement on climate change that has improved the prospects for an international agreement at the crucial United Nations summit that starts in Paris later this month.
As the world's second-biggest economy and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China is playing a leading role in the negotiations about the new agreement.
China has pledged that its annual emissions of greenhouse gases will reach a peak no later than 2030, and that it will invest heavily in making the transition to low-carbon economic growth.
France has signed up to the European Union's collective commitment to reduce its emissions by 2030 to a level that is 40 per cent lower than in 1990.