john kellyHe has led the U.S. climate mission on the world stage for the past three years. is scheduled to leave his post on Wednesday.
Presidential Special Envoy for Climate Change, 80 years old He announced his resignation in January.
„For three years, Secretary Kerry has tirelessly traveled the world, bringing America's climate leadership back from the brink and… We call on countries around the world to take historic action to tackle the climate crisis. ” Said White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in a statement. independent, at that time.
Kelly, a longtime senator, secretary of state Under Barack Obama, it was the obvious choice for the president. joe bidencreated the role after winning the White House in 2020.
John Kerry steps down from his post and looks back on his time as top climate envoy
Mr. Kelly's appointment to lead the negotiations, which are generally handled by private bureaucrats, comes as the United States, which spent four years in the wilderness under former President Donald Trump, has stepped up to the plate in the fight against global climate change. He showed that he was back.
„The world will know that one of my closest friends, John Kerry, speaks for America on one of the most pressing threats of our time.“ Biden said.
But Mr. Kelly's selection also drew ire from Republicans and conservative media, who argued that Mr. Kelly encourages international travel and regularly travels on private jets.
Kelly pushed back against the accusations during a House committee hearing last year, calling them „one of the most outrageous and persistent lies I've ever heard.“
„I don't have a private jet. I've never owned a private jet myself,“ he said. He said the family jet, owned primarily by his wife, billionaire philanthropist Teresa Heinz, was sold, but he did not elaborate on when.
Kerry was a key negotiator of the 2015 Paris Agreement, a global agreement that limits average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or well below 2 degrees Celsius, to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. He was holding his young granddaughter when he signed the agreement at United Nations headquarters in New York.
Mr. Kerry's dignity as climate envoy and decades of experience in public life have proven crucial in advancing relations with China.
Secretary of State John Kerry signs the Paris Agreement on climate change while holding his granddaughter (April 22, 2016, United Nations Headquarters)
(AP)
He emphasized the importance of this cooperation even in the face of China's human rights abuses and tensions with the United States over trade, territory and myriad other issues.
„What we're trying to do is find ways that we can work together to actually address the climate crisis,“ Kerry told U.S. lawmakers last year. He added: „China is extremely important for us to be able to resolve this issue.“ China is the world's largest emitter, and the United States has historically been responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions.
In particular, Mr. Kerry's long-standing friendship with China's climate change envoy, Xie Zhenhua, is extremely important. When Mr. Kerry became climate change envoy, Mr. Xie returned from his retirement to the same role in China.
The two were often seen doing one-on-one sidebars or walking together at global climate summits, and their presence was heralded by the swarm of entourages circling them. At COP28, Mr. Xie and his 8-year-old grandson attended Mr. Kerry's 80th birthday party.
This personal relationship is a boon to global climate action, even if the overall pace of tackling the crisis remains too slow.
Bloomberg reported this week Mr. Kerry and Mr. Xie reportedly met in Beijing in early 2021 with the blessings of their respective leaders, amid the ongoing global coronavirus lockdown. These talks led to the US-China joint declaration at Cop26 in Glasgow later that year, pledging to „strengthen“ climate action in the 2020s „with the aim of keeping temperature limits within achievable limits“. It was something.
Talks then stalled for several months due to rising tensions between the United States and China, but were resumed in 2023. Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attended California with two climate envoys in November. They reaffirmed their commitment to working together to address the climate crisis.
US Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry and China's Xie Zhenhua hold joint press conference at Cop28
(Getty Images)
The agreement between the world's two superpowers laid the groundwork for Cop28 in the coming weeks, with the final agreement for the first time including a call to divest from all oil, coal and gas by the end of the decade.of united nations He hailed it as „the beginning of the end of the world.“ Fossil fuel era“.
Still, much remains to be done. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell last year and China's are on track to do so in 2024, but both countries still invest heavily in fossil fuel industries and emissions are slowing at a pace that will meet global targets. It has not decreased.
China permitted more coal-fired power plants last year than in all of 2021. According to Greenpeace, Even if it carries out the historic rollout of clean energy. The United States is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas; And it produces more oil than any other country in history.
When Mr. Xie, 74, announced his retirement in January, Mr. Kelly posted a lengthy tribute to Mr. X and wished him well.
“Throughout my career, I have learned that the most important thing is the people I meet along the way. Strangers become partners and friends become friends.” Mr. Kelly wrote:
“Xie Zhenhua is one of those friends.”
Apart from U.S.-China relations, Kerry's work as climate envoy, a role within the U.S. State Department, is focused on climate change, including commitments to reduce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and halt and reverse deforestation. has focused on strengthening a number of fronts to address the issue. 2030.
He also championed public-private partnerships, saying we need the cooperation of the corporate world to generate the trillions of dollars needed to reduce global carbon emissions to the levels needed. .
„That's one of the reasons I look at the private sector,“ Kelly said. Associated Press last week.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende tour the Blomstrand Glacier in Ny-Ålesund, Norway, June 16, 2016. Prime Minister Kerry visited areas affected by climate change, including melting ice and the opening of new sea lanes.
(AP)
The strategy also appears to be designed to protect progress from the potential shockwaves if President Trump were to take office again.Mr Kelly said: Associated Press The current pace of action on climate change means that „no one can reverse what the world is doing now.“
Mr Kerry is stepping down from his role as climate envoy, but has made it clear that he will not disappear completely.
„Folks, I'm not retiring,“ he said at Davos in January.Instead, he admitted last week that he was changing gears. To work on Biden's re-election campaign, It is likely to be a tough matchup with Trump.
He also plans to attend Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan later this year, where he will lead the U.S. delegation. White House Senior Advisor John Podesta.
„I'm not going to walk away from the fight against climate change.“ Mr Kelly said: