Former Secretary of State John Kerry admitted this week that the U.S.’s participation in global climate change initiatives, such as the Paris Climate Accord, would not bring down the world’s temperature.
Kerry suggested that electing Democrat Joe Biden is not enough to move the country in the right direction, especially when it comes to global warming.
“We’re in trouble – I mean, our democracy’s in trouble, so we’ve got a fight on that front. We made a great step forward to do that by rejecting the Orange Menace, and moving forward with a new presidency, one committed to doing the right things, all under the umbrella of restoring the soul of our country,” he said during a conversation with “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. “But it’s not enough. I can tell you, we’re not getting done even what we promised in Paris.”
Congresswoman @AyannaPressley talked to Sec. @JohnKerry about the movement that impacted the 2020 election & the policies we need to meet people’s needs & recover from the health, economic, & racial justice crises we’re facing.
Watch now: https://t.co/jvLt4TlOfp#CELAS2020 pic.twitter.com/QdqjNcLcfm— ELM (@EnviroLeagueMA) December 8, 2020
“And even if we did everything that was promised in Paris, the earth’s temperature’s still going to rise to 3.7 degrees Fahrenheit [sic],” Kerry continued. “But because we’re not doing anything, we’re actually heading to [a rise of] 4.1, 4.5 degrees today. It’s beyond catastrophic.”
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2016 Paris Climate Accord, which forces nations to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the second half of the century.
Biden has pledged to rejoin the climate agreement as soon as he takes office.
He designated Kerry as his special climate envoy on the National Security Council after his expected inauguration.
Kerry praised Biden for making climate change one of his top priorities.
“The first priority’s COVID obviously, restoring the economy, dealing with the racial divide and, and the soul of our country, and finally the climate crisis. And he is very, very serious about it. We’re going to have an unparalleled, I think, climate effort,” Kerry added.
