John Kerry, Presidential Special Envoy for Climate, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Room of the White House in Washington on Wednesday, January 27, 2021.
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images
No country can solve the climate crisis, and U.S. research into more research and development on climate change is not against China, Biden administration climate envoy John Kerry told CNBC on Sunday.
“No nation can solve this problem on its own. It’s impossible. Each of us needs everyone else at the table for this to happen,” Kerry told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble in Abu Dhabi after concluding the regional climate dialogue. of the United Arab Emirates, during which he toured renewable energy facilities in the oil-rich Gulf state.
These are China, the United States, India, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Australia, a lot of countries that emit a considerable amount, the United States and China more.
John Kerry
Sent from the US climate
President Joe Biden has made the fight against climate change a top priority for his administration. Its clean energy measures, which include public funding for electric vehicles (electric vehicles), millions of additional charging ports for electric vehicles, and building and housing equipment, are aimed at achieving the long-term goal of ‘zero net emissions by 2050, according to the White House. dit.
And its massive $ 2 trillion infrastructure proposal, if passed by the law, would be one of the largest federal efforts in the United States to curb its greenhouse gas emissions.
The plan would allow the U.S. to invest $ 35 billion in clean technologies and spend $ 174 billion in overhauling the country’s electric vehicle market. But this is still evident compared to what China has spent on clean energy research and development in recent years.
China’s R&D spending rose 10.3% to $ 378 billion in 2020, surpassing the U.S., according to China’s National Statistics Office. China also accounts for about 30% of global CO2 emissions, more than double those of the United States
Asked if that worries him, Kerry said no.
“No, I don’t care at all, because President Biden has a plan,” former senator and secretary of state Barack Obama said.
“I think this is a great economic opportunity, not just for the United States with people from all over the world,” he said. “It’s not about China, it’s not the opposite of China. It’s about China, the United States, India, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Australia, a lot of countries that emit a pretty amount considerable, the United States States and China more “.
Kerry added that the US and China account for almost 45% of all global emissions.
Adding Europe to the list is half of the global total. It can be said that Europe has made more progress than China or the United States in trying to slow down climate change.
“So three entities need to work together with many other countries to be serious about reducing emissions and addressing this moment in history,” Kerry said.
The only area of cooperation?
“We will continue to need gas, probably for a period of time, oil for a period of transition,” Kerry added. “We have to make a transition [away from fossil fuels] here. No one can pretend that you can only wave a magic wand and that you can grow, overnight, you will suddenly have renewables everywhere. ”
China and the United States continue to clash on numerous issues, most notably trade, human rights, intellectual property and technology.
The US delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) and flanked by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan (R), faces its Chinese counterparts at the opening session of the US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 18th. , 2021.
Frederic J. Brown | Reuters