The recent COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt ended with an agreement in which wealthier countries, including the United States, would pay into a “loss and damage” fund to support less wealthy nations that are being battered by the effects of climate change. Notably, however, the world’s second-largest economy, China, has been able to avoid having to pay into the fund. That’s a problem because China is the world’s biggest polluter.

China’s negative impact on global climate policy cannot be overstated. One need only look to Africa, where Chinese investment through the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, is driven by debt-trap diplomacy. A prime example of China’s recklessness can be found in Kenya, where recently revealed details of a 2014 secret railway contract show that the $4.7 billion railway project was over budget at Kenya’s expense. Judges ultimately declared the deal illegal for not being in alignment with Kenyan procurement laws. It is doubtful that concerns over environmental damage were ever considered in the structuring of this project.