The United States Wants To Take A Leading Role In Climate Protection | Current world | DW

“The United States and Germany can give people all over the world confidence. Our countries are on the same line with regard to basic goals,” John Kerry said at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, an online conference organized by the German government. At the same time, the US Climate Commissioner has called for more international ambition regarding climate protection. The former foreign minister spoke of a crucial contract. At the Global Climate Conference in Glasgow in the fall, there should be more ambitious commitments from all countries. Failure is not to choose.

Kerry: The United States lost four years

Kerry also referred to the climate summit that US President Joe Biden plans to hold on April 22. The climate commissioner promised that the United States understands its responsibility. Besides China, the United States is one of the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions. Kerry spoke of humility. Four years were lost, he said, referring to the fact that the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement under Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. Immediately after taking office, Biden arranged for the country to return to the agreement.

Kerry stressed that his country should be much faster in switching to electric mobility and expanding renewable energies. “But we can do that. It’s a matter of political will,” he said.

German energy transition ‘as an inspiration’

The US Climate Commissioner described the German energy transition as “an inspiration” and praised the Renewable Energy Resources Act with the transition to new technologies as a model for many countries. The United States under former President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden has also followed suit. Kerry also noted that Germany and the United States share a long history of developing renewable energies. As examples of the current collaboration, he cited Ford’s $ 1 billion investment in the Cologne plant to convert to electric cars and build the Tesla plant in Brandenburg.

Kerry hailed the German decision to phase out coal with the help of compensation as a brave and pioneering decision. “It is important to liberate the energy sector from carbon dioxide emissions,” he said, referring to the United States. Like Europe, his country wants to be largely climate neutral by 2050. That is why he wants to win the support of the private sector and banks. On the other hand, fossil fuel subsidies should be removed.

The United States is back on board

Federal government officials said they were happy with Kerry’s announcements. “The United States is back on track,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (the Social Democratic Party). Economy Minister Peter Altmire (CDU) affirmed: “With the return of the United States to the climate protection agreement in Paris, a unique window of opportunity opens, a window of opportunity to bring major industrialized countries together and create conditions for development and emerging countries to join forces can join this development.” .

Altmire warned that by the end of the year countries will have to make new decisions at the next global climate conference so that global warming can be kept below two degrees. He called for strong transatlantic energy cooperation. Certain projects must be identified, for example hydrogen. Maas called for the 1920s to be a decade of investments in sustainable technologies. “We are doomed to success,” he said, referring to the goal of climate neutrality.

ww / cw (dpa, rtr)