WASHINGTON – Former secretary of state John Kerry helped broker the landmark Paris agreement and signed it on behalf of the US, a decision subsequently reversed by President Donald Trump.
Now, he is set to be president-elect Joe Biden’s climate envoy, in a clear sign of the upcoming administration’s renewed commitment to fighting climate change.
“I’m returning to government to get America back on track to address the biggest challenge of this generation and those that will follow,” Kerry tweeted shortly after his appointment.
“The climate crisis demands nothing less than all hands on deck.”
The announcement was welcomed by environmental groups such as the World Resources Institute, whose CEO Andrew Steer said: “There are few people in the world with as remarkable a track record on climate change.”
Kerry, a long-time Senate colleague, friend and political ally of Biden, who stood by the president-elect when his candidacy was in crisis, brings to the table the clout and connections associated with being former president Barack Obama’s top diplomat.
The chief architect of the Iran nuclear deal will need all his skills as a statesman, as the US looks to rebuild its strained credibility when it returns to the Paris accord, which Biden has vowed to do on the first day he takes office.
Emissions from the world’s second-biggest polluter have been falling in recent years thanks to the increased contribution of natural gas and renewables – and this year, by the Covid-19 pandemic.
But, the rate is not close to what is needed to achieve the goal Biden has set for the US: net carbon neutrality by 2050.
The Paris agreement aims to limit end-of-century warming below 1.5°C to avoid triggering a series of catastrophic climate tipping points that could confine most of humanity to the planet’s northern and southern bands.
Scientists have calculated that carbon neutrality – which would involve reducing emissions and increasing the amount of carbon captured from the atmosphere – must be achieved by mid-century to reach that goal.
Back in 2015, setting a national carbon neutrality target of 2050 seemed radical. But since then, many have done just that, including the European Union.
China recently announced its intentions to get there by 2060, all the while scolding Washington for “obstructing” the global fight.
Biden is expected to unveil the US’ new climate plan to the world ahead of a United Nations conference in Glasgow next November. – AFP, November 24, 2020
