Chapter Fourteen
Can Rivals Cooperate? Prospects for Sino-American Cooperation in the Environmental Security Domain
J. Scott Hauger, Chen Xue, and Jiahan Cao
Every day, I am faced with the challenges of our troubled and complex world. But none of them loom so large as climate change. If we fail to meet the challenge, all our other challenges will just become greater and threaten to swallow us.
— António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, Austrian World Summit, May 15, 2018
Abstract
The complex interplay of rivalry and cooperation between the United States and China is starkly evident in environmental security. This chapter traces their evolving security cooperation from the 1970s to today, highlighting both promising instances of collaboration and persistent obstacles. Despite shared environmental concerns, deep-seated mistrust and diverging interests hinder sustained progress. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, the chapter offers concrete recommendations to overcome these challenges, emphasizing the critical importance of Sino-American cooperation in addressing this global threat.
