US climate chief John Kerry vowed on Friday that the United States will meet targets presented to the United Nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite a Supreme Court ruling cutting back on the government’s powers.
“We are determined to achieve our goals. We can achieve our goals,” Kerry told AFP.
“But of course it would help if we had a majority on the Supreme Court in the United States of America that actually understands the seriousness of the situation and is more willing to try to be helpful than to present a hurdle of one kind or another .” he said.
After defeating climate skeptic Donald Trump, President Joe Biden last April said the United States would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels, dramatically increasing the climate ambitions of the world’s largest economy.
He submitted the so-called nationally determined contribution to the UN climate agency in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement, the landmark deal brokered by Kerry as foreign secretary.
China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, on Friday urged all nations to honor the Paris commitments, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying of the United States: “Just shouting slogans is not enough.”
Kerry, who has worked with Chinese officials on his climate role despite rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, said he was “not surprised by the message” from the Asian power.
“We’re going to show China exactly how we’re going to get the job done,” Kerry said.
In an unusual comment, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, called the Supreme Court’s decision “a setback in our fight against climate change”.
– ‘All available options’ –
The Supreme Court, ending a term in which three Trump-nominated justices pushed him sharply to the right, Thursday clipped the wings of a key way the government could have tackled climate change.
In a 6-3 ruling that Biden branded “devastating,” the top court said the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to order sweeping cuts in emissions from coal-fired power plants.
“I believe – and our attorneys are considering this very carefully – that this decision gives us a lot of leeway to do a lot of the things that we need to do,” Kerry said.
When asked about calls from some lawmakers in his Democratic Party for Biden to declare a climate emergency, Kerry said, “I think the President needs to explore every option available.”
Coal accounts for about 20 percent of electricity generation in the US – still about on par with renewable energy. China has continued to build coal production capacity despite heavy investment in wind and solar power.
But Kerry said the market has shown coal is not the future.
“No one is going to finance a new coal-fired power plant in the United States — not a bank, not a private lender. Coal is the world’s dirtiest fuel,” he said.
– ‘Put in speech bubble’ –
Scientists warn the world is far off track to avoid the worst of climate change’s devastation, including worsening heat waves, floods, droughts, rising sea levels and storm surges.
The Paris Agreement set a goal of limiting warming by the end of the century to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels — and preferably no more than 1.5 degrees — but the planet has already turned by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius heated.
Ruth Greenspan Bell, climate expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said it was difficult for the United States to show leadership on climate action while arguing internally about whether it was a priority.
“It’s like putting a needle in a balloon. It’s a little less air in the balloon than before,” she said of the court decision.
“Times call for a moonshot, but imagine trying to moonshot while simultaneously in a defensive crouch.”
Environmental groups have pinned cautious hopes on negotiations in Congress for an energy bill that would include climate protection measures.
But on the Democratic side, Senator Joe Manchin of coal-producing West Virginia holds the key vote — and Trump’s Republican Party is widely expected to advance in November’s election.
#Kerry #vows #meet #climate #target #court #setback
