Kerry says there is “room” for US-Russia cooperation on climate

Moscow, July 12 (EFE). – The US Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, considered today that “there is room” for cooperation between Washington and Moscow in the fight against climate change, which may allow the generation of other opportunities between the two countries. The two countries amid strained bilateral relations.

Kerry, who is in Moscow at the beginning of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said that the United States thanks Russia for its participation in the telecoms summit organized by US President Joe Biden in April and appreciates that it “now wants to take additional steps.” to reduce its emissions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the time that Russia wanted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next 30 years to levels below those of the European Union, which had set itself the goal of becoming climate neutral. by 2050 and achieve a net emissions reduction of “at least 55%” by 2030.

“We think there’s room for us to collaborate on this and maybe we’ll be able to create some better opportunities on other issues as we move forward” on cooperation against climate change, Kerry said, stressing, “It’s clear that our countries have some differences” in the relationship.

Kerry stressed that this is why the summit that Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held last month in Geneva was “constructive and important.”

Lavrov considered the visit of the former foreign minister to be “very important and positive” in order to ease tensions “and” maintain a substantive and professional dialogue to find common ground.”

Kerry stressed that the two leaders made clear that the key was to tackle climate change separately because it was “so important and we have to move forward together.”

Kerry added that the United States is the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Russia is fourth, and both countries are “in that small group of twenty countries that account for nearly 80% of all emissions.”

“So what we decide to do is fundamental,” he stressed.

He noted that global warming is currently at 1.2 degrees Celsius and that the Paris Agreement set a goal of avoiding exceeding two degrees Celsius at the end of this century in relation to pre-industrial levels, and that all efforts are being made to not do so. exceed 1.5 degrees.

He stressed that “scientists tell us that we are heading towards more than 2.5 to 3 degrees.”

And Russia, he said, “because it is farther north and shares the North Pole, experiences more heat, experiences greater influence on land, on water, on methane, on tundra …”.

Meanwhile, the United States has experienced a heat wave in recent days, there will be water rationing in various places and “millions of people in the world are moving from one place to another due to the lack of housing, which will only get worse,” he said.

He expressed hope that his meetings in Moscow, which include a meeting tomorrow with the Russian President’s Special Representative on Climate, Ruslan Edelgirev, would mark “the beginning of a new effort leading up to the Glasgow Climate Summit” in the fall.

COP26 “is really the last and best hope for countries to come together and do what scientists have asked us to do,” as they stated in 2018 that there would be twelve years left to make important decisions to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

“We lost three years. We have nine left,” he warned.

Lavrov stressed that Russia will continue to search for solutions based on national goals and goals of social and economic development, and stressed that the country will take “active steps” in this regard, especially on international platforms.

He stated that he appreciates the close cooperation with the United States in the fight against climate change, especially prior to COP26. EFE

cae / fss / acm

© EFE 2021. Redistribution and redistribution of all or part of the contents of the Efe Services, without the prior and express consent of EFE SA, is expressly prohibited.