John Kerry: ‘We have to push back hard’ on efforts to build new fossil fuel infrastructure
John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate change, warned Tuesday that the war in Ukraine could undermine international progress to cut carbon emissions.
“You have this new revisionism suggesting that we have to be pumping oil like crazy, and we have to be moving into long term [fossil fuel] infrastructure building, which would be absolutely disastrous,” Kerry said, speaking on June 7 at the TIME 100 Summit in New York City. “We have to push back, and we have to push back hard.”
Kerry characterized the rising energy prices caused by the conflict as a destabilizing force that could affect U.S. resolve, both in its support of Ukraine, and efforts to cut carbon emissions. “It will change politics. And that’s probably exactly what Putin wants,” Kerry said, speaking to TIME Senior Correspondent Justin Worland. “We have to stand strong and fight back.”
That effort to fight back was the reason Kerry gave for President Joe Biden’s recent efforts to increase supplies of fossil fuels, which he characterized a short term measure. “We have to get through the crisis,” he said. “To get through the crisis you need to obviously maintain political stability.” [Continue reading…]