The two largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, China and the USA, signed an agreement for more climate protection at the UN climate conference.

The Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua announced on Wednesday evening in Glasgow.

"Both sides recognize that there is a gap between the current efforts and the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement," said Xie, referring to the threat of global warming of 2.7 degrees.

Therefore, both countries would work together to strengthen climate protection, added Xie.

To this end, the agreement contains “concrete plans”.

The agreement had therefore been drawn up in 30 online meetings of representatives from both countries over the past ten months. 

"As the two great powers in the world, we must take responsibility to work with other sides to tackle climate change," said Xie.

He also assured that in Glasgow both countries would also work towards the completion of the rule book for the concrete implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The US climate envoy John Kerry confirmed the agreement.

Cooperation on climate protection is "the only way" to cope with the climate crisis, he said in Glasgow.

UN Secretary General António Guterres praised the agreement between the two countries as an "important step in the right direction".

The Paris Agreement provides for global warming to be limited to well below two degrees, but if possible to 1.5 degrees.

According to the UN, the earth is currently heading for a catastrophic warming of 2.7 degrees by the end of the century, even if all national climate protection commitments are met.

China and the USA together cause almost 40 percent of the world's climate-damaging CO2 emissions.

Since October 31, almost 200 states have been negotiating in Glasgow on the concrete implementation of the Paris Agreement of 2015. The COP26 is officially due to end on Friday.

Shortly before the World Climate Conference, China disappointed with its revised climate target.

In it, the most populous country in the world only confirmed that it wants to achieve CO2 neutrality by 2060.

The country's greenhouse gas emissions are expected to peak before 2030, so they could rise significantly by then. 

The fact that China's President Xi Jinping, unlike numerous other heads of state and government, did not travel to Glasgow at the start of the UN climate conference was also widely criticized.

Both the USA and the federal government had called on Beijing to step up on climate protection.