President Biden kicks off virtual climate summit
Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down the top stories around the world.
Video transcript
AKIKO FUJITA: In our "World View" today, leaders across the world are recommitting to a carbon free future on this Earth Day. More than 40 world leaders publicly stating their emissions targets as a virtual White House leader summit on climate today. And you see Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaking at the summit right now live.
It is a virtual summit. The UK laying out the most ambitious goal among those countries participating, pledging to slash emissions by 78% below 1990 levels in the next 14 years. The US has pledged to cut its emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels in the next decade.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin also taking part in the summit. In a rare face to face with the White House, Xi reiterated China's pledge to be carbon neutral by 2060, saying climate actions need to follow the principle of equity and justice, and he called for leaders to work together on the basis of international law.
And the rapid spread of COVID-19 continues to plague India. The country reported the world's biggest single day jump in new cases Thursday, reporting more than 314,000 infections. Hospitals across the country have been turning away patients as they run low on oxygen and medical supplies. Nearly 16 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in India since the pandemic began. The World Health Organization says the country now accounts for nearly 30% of new cases right now. That's nearly triple the number in the US.
