NAIROBI: US climate envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday that he hoped the United States and China “could come together” in the fight against global warming at a historical summit in Kenya aimed at increasing Africa’s potential as a green powerhouse.
Kerry told journalists that he hoped that Washington and Beijing, the two largest economies as well as the two largest emitters in the world, would come together on the problem of climate change.
Kerry said he hoped that climate would be recognized for what it is. It is not a bilateral matter, but it is a universal threat to the earth.
The Africa Climate Summit has brought together African leaders with the aim of defining a shared vision for green development on the continent of 1.4 billion population ahead of the COP28 meeting in Dubai later this year.
Kerry’s statement came after the head of the International Energy Agency (IAE) urged the US and China to set aside their differences and align on the issue of climate change, warning that “geopolitical fractures” could affect the clean energy transition.
Fatih Birol said that geopolitical tensions were casting a “big shadow” as international collaboration between the big players will be much more challenging, AFP reported.
Fatih Birol Urges US, China to Set Aside Tensions
He urged Beijing and Washington to “leave aside their tensions” — both economic and geopolitical — to seek joint or at least common positions on important problems at the COP28 climate talks.
The 3-day Nairobi summit, which started on Monday, has attracted heads of state, government and industry from across Africa, as well as United Nations head Antonio Guterres and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen.
