John Kerry, the global climate official to Mr Biden, warned nations Thursday that the world was “not on a good track” to achieving its goal of turning away from fossil fuels to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change.

The meeting was the first since the Glasgow conference by heads of state and government from large economies, small island countries, and other countries most exposed to climate change.

Harmful emissions have risen again in the past year, mainly due to coal generators and trucks that carry freight as the economy recovers from the pandemic.

In order to meet the goal of averting even more calamitous scenarios of global warming, emissions will have to be halved from 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

Many of the international diplomats in the meeting Thursday “underscored the importance of countries whose 2030 targets are not yet aligned with the Paris goal strengthening them this year,” Kerry said in a statement following the closed meeting.

Russia was among two dozen nations, as well as European and U.N agencies, to participate in Thursday’s virtual climate change meeting.

This in the face of heightened tension on the part of many such countries over a Russian troop build-up near the border with Ukraine, and mutual moves by both the U.S. and European allies.

“One thing is clear: We all must move faster in this decade to accelerate the transition from coal to renewables,” Kerry said in a statement after the secretive cabinet meeting.


John Kerry

READ MORE:  New Climate Minister: Germany faces huge task to meet its CO2 reduction targets

John Forbes Kerry is an American politician and diplomat who is currently the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and Democratic Party, (wikipedia)


European Commission

The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, enforcing EU laws and directing the union’s administrative operations. (wikipedia)