Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that the U.S. had perhaps its most productive year ever in 2016 when it comes to working with other countries on climate change.
“I think it’s safe to say that in terms of environmental diplomacy, the past year may have been the most productive in history,” he said in a press conference at the State Department.
Kerry said the Obama administration’s effort to reach out to China for cooperation on a climate initiative is what helped seal a significant deal to curb emissions among major polluting nations.
“Because we reached out and we engaged pro-actively in diplomacy, and we were able to reach agreement with China, our president, President Obama and President Xi were able to stand up together in Beijing, and together announce the unity of the two largest emitters in the world … of gases,” he said.
Kerry is a well-known climate advocate and has made fighting climate change a major component of his role in the State Department, which has drawn complaints from Republicans. But Kerry said it’s clear that the U.S. needs to take the issue seriously, since the planet may already be past the tipping point.
He said in his late 2016 visit to the South Pole, he was given vials of air that say air from the Antarctic is the cleanest in the world.
“And that air that is the cleanest air in the world is 401.6 parts per million filled with carbon dioxide,” he said. “That is more than 50 parts per million above what scientists tell us is the tipping point with respect to the potential damage to the Earth’s climate. And that’s the cleanest air on Earth.”
Kerry outlined other successes, including the administration’s effort to fight the Islamic State. “We are on the right path both militarily and diplomatically,” he said.
He also said the Iran nuclear agreement showed the “power of diplomacy,” although Republicans continue to argue that deal was a bad agreement for the U.S. and won’t be able to be enforced.
But he acknowledged his agency hasn’t solved all problems, and said a lasting peace deal still eludes Israel and Palestinians.
