US climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday urged countries that have not yet set out their plans to limit global warming, particularly those in Asia, to join the US in doing so.
The US, the world’s second-biggest emitter after China, has promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 as it seeks to lead the fight against climate change under President Joe Biden.
Stronger commitments from Japan and Canada last month at a summit organised by Mr Biden, together with targets already set by the EU and UK, mean that 55% of the world’s economies have publicly committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Mr Kerry said.
“Obviously, that means we still need the other 45%, especially in Asia,” Mr Kerry said in a video message at a virtual climate conference hosted by Ireland.
Greatest opportunity
Kerry said government action alone was not going to resolve the crisis and described the trillions of dollars in private capital needed to transform economies as “literally the greatest market opportunity since the industrial revolution”.
“Though the threat from the climate crisis is an existential one, I think there is still reason to be optimistic,” Mr Kerry said. "We have proven historically that when we want to, we can come together and mobilise our societies in order to do what we need to do."
