Climate change poses one of the greatest threats now facing humanity, and no global climate agreement alone is going to stop it, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says. But without an agreement, nothing will be accomplished.
“Mankind is creating the problem, and mankind can solve the problem. The solution to climate change is energy policy.”
Kerry told the annual U.N. conference on climate change in Lima, Peru, that pledges from the international community will exceed the initial Green Climate Fund target of $10 billion, including $3 billion from the United States. The fund will help the most overburdened nations do more to respond to climate change.
The 10-day conference aimed to hammer out a blueprint for a new global agreement on climate change action that can be considered in Paris next year.
Kerry added that “every nation has a responsibility to do its part if we’re going to pass this test. And only those nations who step up and respond to this threat can legitimately lay claim to any mantle of leadership and global responsibility.”
President Obama has said, “We can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every nation.”