What does the United States need to achieve its emission reduction targets? This "climate gentleman" said seven "money" words in a row. Climate | China and the United States

Climate change issues

It is an area where China and the United States can cooperate

Author: Zheng Aotian

19 years ago, he was only one step away from the White House. Ten years ago, he was the Secretary of State of the United States. Today, he is the special climate envoy of the President of the United States, and the third senior American official to visit China recently, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Yellen.

On July 16th, Kerry arrived in Beijing and began a three-day visit to China. Starting from the 17th, China and the United States will exchange in-depth views on cooperation in addressing climate change.

On July 11th, before Kerry's visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "Climate change is a global challenge that requires joint efforts from all countries to address. China and the United States have had good cooperation in the field of climate change and jointly promoted the entry into force of the Paris Agreement. We hope that the United States and China will work together to create favorable conditions and atmosphere for climate cooperation between China and the United States."

"Mr. Climate"

Climate change has always been considered one of the areas where China and the United States can cooperate, and Kerry can be called the "climate gentleman" of the United States.

Since entering the United States Senate in 1984, Kerry has long been concerned about climate change. In 1992, he participated in the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and witnessed the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At that meeting, he became acquainted with his second wife Theresa.

In 2004, Kerry represented the Democratic Party in a presidential election against George W. Bush. Kerry proposed to impose high taxes on the oil and gas industry to encourage the development of cleaner energy. He also supports stricter fuel efficiency standards for motor vehicles.

In 2013, Obama began his second term with Kerry serving as Secretary of State, leading the US climate change negotiation agenda.

On April 22, 2016, then Secretary of State Kerry signed the Paris Agreement on behalf of the United States to address global climate change. At that time, Kerry held his granddaughter in one hand, signed with the other, and even kissed her after signing.

Kerry remains vigilant about potential issues such as famine, disasters, and epidemics caused by carbon emissions. He once said that the impact of climate change has made many African countries and Pacific island countries feel "frustrated and angry" because they only emit very little greenhouse gases but have to pay a "very high price" for climate change.

In 2019, Trump took office at the White House and quickly announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The withdrawal process was officially launched in November of that year. Kerry shared the photo of himself holding his granddaughter and signing the contract, saying, "Think for them!" He also published an article stating that the United States will "return to the negotiating table" after 2020.

On November 4, 2020, the day after the US presidential election, the United States officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement. A month later, Biden, who had not yet officially taken office, nominated Kerry in advance as the President's climate envoy and arranged for him to join the US National Security Council. Biden also proposed returning to the Paris Agreement as an important policy goal.

Kerry's influence is crucial in the United States climate change policy. He once stated that he sees the climate crisis as an "urgent national security threat" to the United States.

During an event, when asked what the United States needs to achieve its emission reduction targets, Kerry said seven "money" words in one breath. Last March, he also called on developed countries to fulfill their commitment to providing $100 billion in annual climate aid to developing countries.

However, on the eve of his visit to China on July 14th, Kerry stated at a congressional hearing that he would not provide compensation funds to developing countries severely affected by climate disasters. "The United States will not give money, under any circumstances."

"It's like a millionaire driving a Ferrari into your house but refusing to pay for repairs," commented a climate change activist.

At that hearing, Kerry was also questioned about private jet issues. According to EU data, the per capita pollution caused by private airplanes is 14 times higher than that of commercial flights and 50 times higher than that of trains. Previously, Kerry claimed that he had never owned a private plane. But a legislator found out that the Kerry family sold their private plane last summer, accusing Kerry of being "hypocritical".

Faced with questioning, Krilly awkwardly defended himself by saying that he "personally" did not have a private plane under his name, but his wife had one and admitted to traveling on this private plane. Previously, he had told the media that his contribution to addressing climate change could "offset" the pollution generated by private aviation.

"Elitists"

In American politics, Kerry is often seen as an "elitist" with a rich background.

On December 11, 1943, Kerry was born in Colorado. His full name is John Forbes Kerry. This Forbes is his mother's surname. The Forbes family had been involved in Sino US trade since the 19th century and made a lot of unjust gains by smuggling opium. The Forbes family once had a cargo ship named "Lingding", which stopped in the the Pearl River basin for a long time as a water warehouse for selling opium.

Kerry's father, Richard Kerry, was a diplomat and lawyer. Kerry studied at private boarding schools such as Montana College in Switzerland and Fisden High School in the United States. He played bassist in a high school rock band and has released records.

In 1962, Kerry enrolled in his father's alma mater, Yale University. His academic performance is average, he has never received an A in an exam, but he is very interested in socializing and debate. In his junior year, he became the chairman of the Yale Political Alliance and even joined the famous Skeleton Society. He once dated the wife and sister of the late US President Kennedy and was invited to participate in activities of the Kennedy family. This has accumulated resources for his future political career.

In 1965, Kerry criticized US foreign policy during a speech competition, stating that "the ghost of Western imperialism is bringing fear to Asians and Africans." However, a year later, he volunteered to go to Vietnam as a naval reserve officer. He served as the commander of the speedboat and was injured multiple times.

In 1970, Kerry, who had retired and returned to China, joined the Vietnam War Veterans Anti War Organization. A year later, he stated at a congressional hearing in the United States that the war crimes committed by the US military in Southeast Asia were not "isolated incidents", "crimes are committed every day, and all officers on the command chain are aware of this."

In 1984, Kerry was elected as a United States Senator and was re elected multiple times. He once voted in support of the US invasion of Iraq. But after learning that Iraq does not possess weapons of mass destruction, he criticized the Bush administration for "misleading" the United States. "They launched a war without a plan to win peace."

In 2004, Kerry participated in the presidential election and returned with a defeat. Nine years later, he became Secretary of State and was praised by American media as a rare diplomatic star in American history. But by 2015, Obama's polls were low, and Kerry was also named the "worst Secretary of State in half a century" by Foreign Policy magazine in the United States. This also shows the reality of political polarization in the United States.

Kerry's wife's full name is Theresa Heinz Kerry, and Heinz comes from her original wife, former Republican Senator John Heinz III of Pennsylvania. John is one of the main heirs of the American food giant Heinz Foods, and passed away in 1991 due to a helicopter crash. In 1995, Theresa remarried Kerry. According to American media, Theresa currently has assets ranging from $750 million to $1.2 billion.

In the political circle of Washington, Kerry has a "noble taste", and his family has many mansions in Europe. He also enjoys vacations in Europe and enjoys driving yachts. Kerry's political enemies often seize this point, criticizing him for being disconnected from the lives of ordinary Americans and living a luxurious life, yet demanding that ordinary Americans pay a price for the public interest.

Familiar faces

For Chinese people, Kerry can be considered a "familiar face". When it comes to climate change between China and the United States, one often hears his name.

In May 2009, Kerry visited China as the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and attended the China US Clean Energy Practical Cooperation Strategy Forum. In July 2014, as Secretary of State, Kerry climbed the Great Wall of Badaling during his visit to China.

After the signing of the Paris Agreement, Kerry expressed his hope that the cooperation between China and the United States on climate issues can become a global "model" and play a positive role in future climate negotiations.

Since Kerry became the President's climate change envoy, China and the United States have had a series of communications on climate issues, and he himself has visited China multiple times.

In 2021, China's climate change envoy, Xie Zhenhua, held talks with Kerry in Shanghai and issued a joint statement on China and the United States addressing the climate crisis. The statement emphasizes that "China and the United States are committed to mutual cooperation and working with other countries to solve the climate crisis."

Xie Zhenhua once said that the consultations between China and the United States were "very constructive" overall, and said that both Kerry and himself believe that action is more important than empty talk. Kerry once stated that he has a working relationship with Xie Zhenhua for over 20 years, "we understand and respect each other." He referred to Xie Zhenhua as a "leader" and "capable promoter" on global climate change issues.

On August 2, 2022, US House Speaker Pelosi visited Taiwan despite strong opposition from China. On August 10th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that due to the serious impact of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China has suspended bilateral climate change talks between China and the United States. All consequences arising from this must be borne by the United States.

The recent visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Treasury Secretary Yellen to China shows that both China and the US are working hard to find ways to get along in the new context of bilateral relations. In this situation, Kerry's visit to China also shows that senior US government officials are considering how to handle US China relations.

China has always been an activist and doer on climate change issues. According to the white paper "China's Green Development in the New Era" released in January this year, the annual growth rate of China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry output is over 10%, and the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic power generation all rank first in the world; The production scale of clean energy radio waves ranks first in the world; The production and sales of new energy vehicles have ranked first in the world for 8 consecutive years.

On the other hand, in the United States, there are many problems in this regard. In 2001, the United States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol. In 2009, the Clean Energy and Security Act of the United States, aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions, ran aground. In 2020, the Trump administration withdrew from the Paris Agreement, and it was not until 2021 that the Biden administration returned to the Paris Agreement.

Da Wei, Director of the Center for Strategic and International Security Studies at Tsinghua University, believes that although climate change cannot bear the overall situation of China US relations, it can inject positive energy into China US relations and is also considered a promising area for achieving results in China US relations. In this sense, Kerry's visit to China and the resumption of climate change consultations between the two sides have indeed sent a positive signal.