July 12 (Reuters) - Cooperation between the United States and China is considered essential for the world to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions blamed for global warming.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will travel to Beijing this week to promote clean energy technology trade and other ways the two countries can work together to fight climate change.
Here are some climate change facts about the two countries:
U.S., CHINA BIGGEST GREENHOUSE GAS EMITTERS
* China's rapid growth has pushed it into first place as the world's leading source of carbon dioxide emissions. But the United States, the number two emitter, still has spewed the most heat-trapping gases into the air over time.
* From 1998 to 2006, China's annual carbon dioxide emissions doubled to more than 6 billion metric tons, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Over the same period, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions grew much less rapidly, from 5.6 billion metric tons to 5.9 billion.
* The United States and China's greenhouse gas emissions are driven by their huge appetite for fossil fuels. The United States consumes more oil and natural gas than any other country and is second only to China in coal consumption. The United States and China are number one and two, respectively, in electricity generation.
* The United States, with 5 percent of the world's population, is responsible for about 30 percent of the world's cumulative carbon dioxide emissions. China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for about 8 percent of the emissions already in the atmosphere.
* The average American accounts for 20 metric tons of carbon emissions per year, compared to 10 for the average European and around 5 for the average Chinese.
* China relies on coal, the most carbon-intensive energy source for over two-thirds of its energy needs, including about 80 percent of its electricity generation.
* The United States has the world's largest coal reserves and uses coal for 22 percent of its energy needs and 49 percent of electricity generation.
STEPS TAKEN SO FAR
* The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2010 and 83 percent by 2050.
* It is unclear whether the U.S. Senate will pass similar legislation before countries meet in Copenhagen in December to try to strike a new global climate treaty.
* China has raised concern about a House provision creating a "border adjustment" program beginning in 2010 that would set additional tariffs to protect certain energy-intensive U.S. industries such as steel, cement, paper and glass.
* The House legislation falls short of Beijing's demand developed countries cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Beijing also wants rich countries to commit between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of their GDP to help developing countries address climate change.
* China's latest five-year plan calls for a 20 percent cut in energy intensity by the end of 2010. Chinese authorities estimate this would cut the country's carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 1 billion tons versus "business as usual." However, the effort has fallen behind schedule.
* China has invested heavily in solar and wind power as part of its goal of having renewable fuels account for 15 percent of its total energy consumption by 2020.
* China's fuel economy standards for its rapidly growing passenger vehicle fleet are more stringent than those in Australia, Canada and the United States. Average fuel economy for new vehicles was projected at 36.7 mpg in 2008.
* Last week, the United States, China and other major economies responsible for about 80 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions pledged to keep global average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.
CONFLICT POINTS
* China is resisting pressure from the United States and other developed countries to agree to a specific cap on its emissions at the December forum in Copenhagen.
* China argues it has been industrializing only for a few dozen years, compared to much longer in the West.
* Nearly 200 million Chinese have moved from rural areas to cities since 1992 and that rapid migration is expected to continue for at least another 15 to 20 years.
* Industries including cement, steel, petrochemical, power and aluminum needed to build new urban infrastructure are the biggest source of China's greenhouse gas emissions.
* China has been unenthusiastic about an U.S. and European Union proposal in world trade talks to eliminate tariffs on solar, wind, water and other clean energy products that could help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
WHY SCIENTISTS BELIEVE ACTION IS NEEDED
* The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has forecast global average temperatures could rise 1.1 to 6.4 degrees Celsius (2.0 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2099.
* Scientists consider it likely the Greenland ice sheet will begin melting uncontrollably if global temperatures climb more than 2 degrees Celsius, threatening islands and coastal cities. More people would suffer from malnutrition and some infectious diseases and there would be more deaths from heatwaves, floods and droughts, the IPPC says. (Reporting by Doug Palmer; editing by Todd Eastham)