MODERATOR: Thanks, and greetings to everybody from the U.S. Division of State’s Dubai Regional Media Hub. I wish to welcome our individuals dialing in from the Center East and around the globe for this on-the-record briefing with John Kerry, Particular Presidential Envoy for Local weather. Particular Envoy Kerry will talk about the U.S. Authorities’s prime priorities for the upcoming COP27 assembly of the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in addition to the Biden administration’s worldwide local weather efforts. Secretary Kerry will make transient opening remarks, then take questions from collaborating journalists on worldwide local weather points.
We’re happy to supply simultaneous interpretation for this briefing in Arabic. We request that everybody maintain this in thoughts and communicate slowly.
I’ll now flip it over to Particular Envoy Kerry for his opening remarks. Sir, the ground is yours.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, Sam, thanks very a lot. Thanks to all of you for becoming a member of us right here 11 days out or so from the start of Sharm el-Sheikh. Let me simply say in a short time, this COP, COP27, we view as an implementation COP. And the aim of it’s to ensure the guarantees that had been made in Glasgow are literally being pursued on the tempo they have to be pursued in, but in addition that the oldsters who didn’t step up in Glasgow are, in response to the Glasgow settlement, presupposed to step up right here and supply new NDCs, new indicators of what they’re ready to do.
So implementation plus maintain the guarantees, get the commitments that haven’t been made however that are crucial. Why? As a result of the scientists, the IPCC, and the entire proof are telling us that it’s crucial we do all the things in our energy to maintain the Earth’s temperature enhance to 1.5 levels centigrade. If we don’t try this, we’ll convey a lot higher destruction on ourselves, on the planet, way more inhospitable, even unlivable situations for dwelling, for fishing, for survival of the oceans, for the having the ability to work open air in excessive warmth areas of the world, the sea-level rise. I imply, there are such a lot of penalties of not getting this job accomplished that to some extent that’s overwhelming to some individuals they usually type of again off and suppose they’ll’t do something.
The very fact is we’re constructing new applied sciences. They’re being found. They’re being delivered to scale. There’s an infinite quantity of funding around the globe in new practices, new methods of doing issues. I personally really feel assured that if we do the issues we already know how one can do and we convey on-line a few of the new applied sciences, we are able to win this battle.
So Sharm el-Sheikh is the stepping stone to the following alternative for all of us to get collectively and be capable to measure the place we’re and what we have to do, get on monitor the place we aren’t right now.
MODERATOR: Nice. Thanks, sir. We’ll now start the query and reply portion of right now’s name. Questions submitted prematurely have been integrated into the queue, and simply to notice that we did obtain in all probability extra submitted questions for this name than any name we’ve accomplished in a very long time, exhibiting the worldwide curiosity on this subject.
I’ll begin with a type of pre-submitted questions from a colleague in Egypt, as a result of Egypt is internet hosting the COP27, and this primary pre-submitted query comes from Mohamed Maher from Egypt’s Almasry Alyoum newspaper. And Mohamed asks: “Mr. Secretary, you visited Egypt and the UAE many occasions, and COP27 will likely be in Egypt and COP28 within the UAE. Do you suppose selecting the 2 nations from the Center East for the local weather summit for 2 consecutive years bears a specific significance?”
Over to you, sir.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, I don’t know what the rationale was of the oldsters who really make the choice on the United Nations. This can be a United Nations-sponsored occasion. However personally, I’m glad that we’ll be within the area the place many of the fuel and oil of the world is produced – not all of it, however very giant quantities of it – but in addition the place there’s a sturdy dedication. I imply, you have a look at the efforts being made in Egypt now and also you have a look at the efforts being made within the UAE. They’re deeply engaged on the reducing fringe of attempting to assist speed up the transformation.
In Egypt we’re engaged on an settlement to have the ability to get the European improvement financial institution concerned with funding for the deployment of renewables. And Egypt – the Authorities of Egypt – has made a dedication that it’s ready to terminate 5 gigawatts of fuel manufacturing in – for Egypt and switch it to Europe, which can want further fuel, whereas in addition they deploy 10 gigawatts of renewable vitality. That’s mannequin for a few of the sorts of issues we are able to do nation for nation as we get inventive about reducing emissions and deploying renewable vitality.
As well as, the UAE has been on the leading edge of a complete bunch of expertise investments. And for a gas-producing nation, fuel and oil-producing nation, I feel it’s distinctive to have them keen to convey the entire – the entire establishments engaged in attempting to work for a metamorphosis to new vitality proper to their residence, proper to the center of the manufacturing space, and discuss concerning the future. I feel that’s daring management. I feel it’s essential.
So I’m excited concerning the prospect that we’ll be the place we’re, and we’re very supportive of Egypt’s preliminary efforts right here. The international minister, Sameh Shoukry, President al-Sisi, are main the trouble clearly for Egypt, and we sit up for ensuring we’ve a profitable COP at Sharm.
MODERATOR: Thanks, sir. Our subsequent query does come from the reside queue, and it goes to Pearl Matibe from Energy FM 98.7. Operator, please open the road.
QUESTION: Sure, thanks a lot. Are you able to hear me?
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Sure, I can hear you. Thanks.
QUESTION: Okay. Thanks a lot, Particular Envoy Kerry. I actually do admire your availability right now, and I’m listening to the promise of dedication from america. I wish to simply pose a query to you as a result of there may be – there was some bitterness by a few of the African leaders, and I wish to hear your response as to the way you or your workplace may be – together with your nice, lengthy expertise in diplomacy and prior auspices as Secretary of State – how issues will be smoothed over right here.
I simply need to quote you one thing that Senegalese President Macky Sall stated final month when he was disenchanted at attendance at an Africa summit. He stated, quote, “I can not assist however be aware with some bitterness the absence of leaders from the commercial world.” He stated this on the Adaptation Summit. Secretary Kerry – Particular Envoy Kerry, he had thought that the assembly being held in Europe would make it simpler for nations from the West to attend, and he stated, quote, “They’re the principle polluters on this planet, and they’re those who ought to be financing adaptation.”
What, maybe, are you doing, Particular Envoy Kerry, personally provided that a whole lot of these leaders are going to be coming to the African Leaders Summit, and a few of these local weather points would possibly spill over into different subjects that don’t have anything to do with local weather change? Why do you imagine that they’re so upset and the way can issues be smoothed over right here in order that they’re not as aggravated as they’re? Thanks a lot.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, no, thanks. Thanks very a lot for the query, a really professional query, and I’m glad to get an opportunity to reply it as a result of I feel leaders of nations in Africa are 100% professional to be upset over the present allocation of funding. I’m upset over it. I feel that the developed world has to take the lead in serving to the creating world to have the ability to stand up to the impacts of local weather and to get forward of the curve on the brand new vitality future, and I’m all for it. I used to be simply in Africa. I used to be within the DRC. I used to be in Nigeria. I used to be in Senegal, met with President Macky Sall, who’s doing an awesome job of attempting to advocate for the area.
And I feel what’s vital is that we’ve received to search out new mechanisms of releasing the funding and new methods of offering concessionary funding to assist nations to transition. I imply, I’m greater than nicely conscious that the overwhelming majority of the impression of what’s taking place is coming from 20 nations – the 20 most developed nations on the planet. And Sub-Saharan Africa, there are about 48 nations which are accountable who’re solely 0.55 p.c of all of the emissions on the planet. Africa as an entire is simply 3 p.c of all of the emissions, but 17 of probably the most weak nations on the planet are in Africa.
So I share the frustration. We’ve to get this allocation proper, which is why america supported utterly the doubling of cash for adaptation and President Biden stepped up and has created an Emergency Program for Adaptation and Resilience with $12 billion allotted over 5 years, $3 billion this 12 months in our price range.
So we’re actually deeply dedicated to this, and I hope this would be the 12 months the place individuals all form of get on the identical web page, recognizing that there are some particular inequities they usually deserve some particular consideration.
MODERATOR: Thanks, sir. We do have fairly a worldwide curiosity within the name right now, and so transferring across the globe slightly bit to a few of the different locations that you simply, sir, have visited, we had a query from Duy Linh Dangle from Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre media outlet, and he asks: “Sir, you’ve visited Vietnam a number of occasions over the previous 12 months. What do these visits do to contribute to the cooperation between the 2 nations on local weather? And what position does the U.S. anticipate Vietnam and different Asian nations to soak up combating local weather change?”
Over to you, sir.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Thanks very a lot. Properly, Vietnam is a rustic that clearly I’ve labored in for a very long time. I used to be deeply concerned within the normalization course of after the warfare. I used to be deeply concerned in lifting the embargo. I’ve been deeply concerned in serving to to create commerce and good relations between america and Vietnam. However proper now we’re working very onerous with Vietnam to get Vietnam to do what is wise concerning the transition to vitality.
Sadly, in Vietnam some forces are preventing to maintain coal, and coal is doing many of the injury that we’ve right now on the planet by way of the local weather disaster. We have to transfer off of coal. It was determined final 12 months by China, Korea, Japan, america, different developed nations, that there could be no extra funding externally of coal-fired crops on the planet. And we have to not convey on-line new coal at a time once we ought to be deploying renewable vitality.
Photo voltaic and wind are by far cheaper than fossil gas, and nations that don’t transfer sooner are actually going to get left behind economically. They’re going to be broken as a result of firms don’t need to go to a rustic producing soiled vitality as a result of then they’ll’t meet their very own objective of internet zero by 2050. So firms are on the lookout for clear vitality producers on the planet. I do know Indonesia is now making ready to maneuver to deploy extra renewables and to start to transition from coal. And that is the development, that is the longer term, and we’d like extra nations to embrace that future and make this transition occur.
MODERATOR: Nice. Thanks a lot, sir. We do have fairly a couple of journalists queued up within the query queue although, and we’ll attempt to get by a couple of extra questions within the remaining time we’ve. Our subsequent query does come from the reside queue and it goes to Heba El Koudsy from the Asharq al-Awsat pan-Arab newspaper. Operator, please open the road.
QUESTION: Good afternoon, all people. Thanks, Mr. Kerry, for doing this convention. I wish to ask you one of many essential issues of the local weather change is urging that every nation which are contributed – contributing largely to the greenhouse fuel emissions to offer further local weather fund for the creating nations that’s severely affected by the local weather change. And a few individuals name it some form of local weather justice or paying the local weather debt to the creating nation. Is there some form of dedication or – from the wealthy nations to the poor and creating nations concerning that debt? Thanks.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, you stated concerning their debt?
QUESTION: Sure, to pay their local weather debt, or generally it’s reparations for the creating nations.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, no, reparations shouldn’t be a phrase or a time period that has been used on this context, however the settlement in Paris does say we’ve to make elevated efforts to avert, decrease, and handle loss and injury related to the antagonistic impacts of the local weather disaster. Now, that’s within the Paris Settlement, and in Glasgow we reaffirmed that, and we’ve all the time stated that it’s crucial for the developed world to assist the creating world to cope with the impacts of local weather.
So we america are literally the biggest humanitarian donor on the planet. We give extra – whether or not it’s vaccines or Ebola or AIDS or a brand new flood emergency in Pakistan, et cetera, we attempt to do as a lot as we are able to. However I feel we should always do extra. President Biden believes we should always do extra, which is why he has created a program referred to as PREPARE, the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience. And we’re doubling the sum of money that we put into resilience and adaptation, as are different developed nations on the planet. We agreed on this in Glasgow.
Now we’ve to go to the following degree and get engaged in a critical dialogue about how the world goes to cope with loss and injury. And we’re ready to debate in Sharm el-Sheikh absolutely all of the methods during which we are able to attempt to be honest and collect the efforts of the world to assist us handle the issues of a whole lot of nations on the planet. So we’re very supportive of addressing loss and injury within the context of the method of the UN – of the COPs.
MODERATOR: Thanks, sir. Our subsequent query is a pre-submitted query from Ahmed Kamal from Qatar’s Lusail Newspaper, and Ahmed asks: “Sir, what new commitments may be anticipated from the U.S. this 12 months at COP, and what are your expectations concerning the commitments of different large nations corresponding to China and India?”
Over to you, sir.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, america goes to make quite a lot of bulletins once we get there. I hope you’ll forgive me; I’m not going to make them right now. However we wish on the COP to ensure that all people understands we’re doing the issues essential to maintain 1.5 levels alive. And we have to have the NDCs. Not simply the developed nations however creating nations around the globe have to step up and put of their NDCs, as a result of all people must do their half right here.
We’ll drive further financing to speed up the transition worldwide. We will likely be engaged on multilateral improvement financial institution tips so as to make more cash accessible for lending. We will likely be asserting completely different initiatives, together with elevated effort on the worldwide methane pledge, further funding for adaption and resilience from President Biden and the U.S.
And we only recently, as I feel you already know, ready for the ratification of – the Senate simply gave its consent to the Kigali settlement, which is a really vital effort to cut back chlorofluorocarbons. And we will likely be doing an adaption occasion in Egypt with the Egyptian Authorities – we’re co-hosting it – the place we’ll make bulletins on our assist to Africa on adaptation.
And we’re supporting the Secretary-Common’s name to offer early warning programs for all nations which are threatened and to do that inside 5 years. And we’ll produce – we’ve made a pledge of fifty million to the difference fund. That’s the administration. That’s the fund that works the method. And I feel there will likely be finance bulletins, adaptation bulletins, water bulletins, decarbonization, and numerous different vitality biodiversity bulletins that will likely be made. And we’re going to work with quite a lot of UN entities concerning precedence areas with a view to advance the ball right here.
MODERATOR: Thanks, sir. We’ve time for one final query right now. Sorry to all the opposite journalists ready on the road and the numerous, many journalists who submitted pre-submitted questions, and hopefully we’ll be capable to do that once more sooner or later. However we’ve time for one final query right now, and that goes to the reside queue to Wael Badran from the United Arab Emirates Al Ittihad newspaper. Operator, please open the road.
QUESTION: Thanks, Mr. Secretary, right now for doing this. My query is at Sharm el-Sheikh COP27, as you describe, within the implementation convention, how would you describe COP28 in Abu Dhabi? And the way do you consider the work accomplished by UAE in tackling local weather change? I imagine you’re co-hosting COP28. And the way keen is the convention in make
and institute in reaching sustainable improvement targets in Center East area? Thanks.
SPECIAL ENVOY KERRY: Properly, let me simply say that it’s slightly – initially, I settle for – I anticipate, and I don’t simply anticipate, I do know that the UAE will handle a really efficient, very well-thought-through, and really complete COP. I’ve little doubt about it. I’ve supported UAE to have the ability to turn into a number of the COP as a result of I do suppose UAE is doing a little extraordinary issues on the entrance strains of expertise and appearing as a frontrunner within the discipline, not simply within the area however globally.
I imagine, although, it’s slightly bit early to be speaking about particular targets and targets as a result of we’re targeted on COP27. We’re working with the Egyptians very carefully. I haven’t had particular discussions with our mates within the UAE, and we work very carefully with Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and with His Excellency the President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and so forth. We’re actually synced up right here. However the UAE desires to ensure that the Sharm el-Sheikh COP is profitable first, after which we’ll get into the specifics of the place we have to go afterwards.
Let me – can I simply say to all people in closing, when you don’t thoughts? I need to make a press release I didn’t make at first. What you see taking place around the globe now makes it extra pressing and extra clear than ever that we have to step up and get this job accomplished – each nation. No nation has a proper to be delinquent in not placing up an NDC, not strengthening it the place they’ll, and never being a part of this effort.
And the scientists inform us that what is going on now – the elevated excessive warmth, the elevated excessive climate, the fires, the floods, the warming of the ocean, the melting of the ice, the extraordinary method during which life is being affected badly by the local weather disaster – what we’re seeing right now goes to worsen until we handle this disaster in a unified, very forward-leaning method.
And the reply – and the reality is that the upside of doing that’s a lot larger and higher than the draw back of not doing issues over these subsequent few years. You’ll be able to’t keep away from the scientific actuality of what’s taking place with elevated emissions. We’ve to seize emissions. And other people in each nation on the planet ought to be completely adamant about demanding that they get clear air, that their lakes and rivers and streams can have fish and never dry up, and that they’re going to have the ability to produce meals within the locations their households have produced meals for hundreds of years. I imply, these are issues individuals all around the globe care about, and we’d like way more effort to carry governments accountable to what’s completely important to guard life on the planet and to do justice to our residents. And I hope all people will view Sharm el-Sheikh because the second the place we’ve to do this.
MODERATOR: Thanks a lot, sir, for these remarks. That does conclude right now’s name. I wish to thank Particular Presidential Envoy for Local weather John Kerry for becoming a member of us, and thank all of our callers for collaborating on this vital name on this vital subject. When you have any questions on right now’s name, you may contact the Dubai Regional Media Hub at dubaimediahub@state.gov. Thanks and have an awesome day.
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