COP26: US and China join forces in climate agreement

China and the US have agreed to work together to combat climate change.

Currently, the US and China are two of the biggest polluters of CO2 in the world.

As part of their agreement they said they would work together to achieve the 1.5C temperature goal set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Activists and politicians from around the world have welcomed the unexpected announcement from the two countries, but environmental charity Greenpeace said both countries needed to show more commitment.

The announcement was made at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, which officially ends on Friday.

China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua has been at COP26

US President Joe Biden and China's General Secretary Xi Jinping are now expected to hold a virtual meeting to talk about their plans.

According to China's climate representative at COP26, the announcement came as a result of around 30 meetings, taking place over the last 10 months, between the two countries.

They have agreed to take steps on a number of issues including methane emissions, the move to clean energy, and reducing carbon emissions.

China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua and US climate representative John Kerry, said that while US and China had many differences, co-operation on climate was vital.

"Every step matters right now and we have a long journey ahead of us," said Xie Zhenhua.

Scientists say that by limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C, it will help the world avoid the worst climate impacts. This is compared with pre-industrial temperatures.

The reaction to the surprise agreement has been mostly positive, but experts and activists have warned that concrete action must now be taken to support their promises.