Former US Secretary of State John Kerry joined Chatham House to reflect on the outcomes of COP30 and assess what they mean for the future of international climate cooperation. Drawing on his experience from the Rio Earth Summit to Paris and breakthrough COPs in Glasgow and Dubai as US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Mr Kerry explored the shifting dynamics of global climate leadership, the role of major economies, and how the United States private sector and subnational leadership can still help drive meaningful progress. During an event at Chatham House the former secretary of state and climate envoy condemned Trump administration climate policy saying that ‘no one can bend the laws of physics.’
John Kerry says US under Trump becoming ‘denier, delayer and divider’ on climate change; criticizes ‘ineptitude’ in China policy
The 68th United States Secretary of State John Kerry visited Chatham House on 25 November, following the COP 30 summit in Brazil, to discuss global action on climate change and the effect of US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump – who has repeatedly called climate change a ‘hoax’.
During the event Kerry, the former US secretary of state and special presidential envoy for climate, expressed his concern about the effect of Trump administration policies on global climate action – and on China.
Climate change ‘is real,’ he said. ‘It is happening. The only hoax is in pretending otherwise…I’ve learned that, in an election for a time, you can bend the laws of politics. But believe me, no one, no president, monarch, no one can bend the laws of physics.’
In his remarks, Kerry said that under President Trump the US is turning ‘from leader to denier, delayer and divider,’ adding that: ‘When the United States walks away, old excuses find new life… China enjoys newfound freedom from scrutiny’.
Kerry called for the US and the world to return to the UAE consensus on climate and work to achieve net zero by 2050.
In discussion with Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox, Kerry also outlined the need for better relations with China.
‘We have to talk to China more…We can’t be categorical in these relationships,’ he said. ‘And we need to understand, you know, to look at other countries through their eyes, not just our own.’ Calling on his own experience he said:
‘China’s overpowering raison d’etre is continuing to exist as a regime in power…Everything they do, even the coal fired power plants they’ve designed and built, are there because they’re scared of a downturn in the economy that comes with that. And then they have brownouts or blackouts, and all of a sudden they think they have a revolution on their hands. That’s at the core of governance there. Now it’s grown somewhat, partly because of the ineptitude of the United States’.
The video of the event is available here.
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