On Climate Change
A presidential election and the demands of economic recovery could offer the United States a new chance to lead on climate.
· September 9, 2020
experts
John Kerry
Nonresident Scholar, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program
about
On February 1, 2013, John Forbes Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to serve as Secretary in over a century.
As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement, and the elevation of global environmental issues including the oceans within the framework of civilian security.
On January 20, 2021, Kerry was sworn in as our nation’s inaugural Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and the first-ever Principal to sit on the National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change. In that role, he negotiated successful restoration of US-China climate cooperation, helped galvanize $11.3 billion dollars in Athens to protect our oceans, and helped shape the commitment of almost 200 countries embracing the UAE Consensus at COP28 to transition the world away from fossil fuels.
From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. In the Senate, he worked closely with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to make peace with Vietnam and begin normalization of relations.
As a young man, Secretary Kerry served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts.
He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School.
Secretary Kerry is the best-selling author of A Call to Service, This Moment on Earth with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, which The New York Times described as “a bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.”
On May 3rd 2024, President Biden awarded Secretary Kerry the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his lifetime commitment to public service, saying simply, “the son of a foreign service officer, diplomacy is in his DNA.”
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24 Results
The Fragile State of the World’s Ocean: A Transatlantic Response
July 14, 2020
How can the United States and the European Union best lead and steward global efforts to prevent natural disasters by protecting our fragile ocean, including its high seas that are owned by no one, but shared by everyone?
- +1
- William J. Burns,
- John Kerry,
- Virginijus Sinkevičius,
- Monica Medina
Diplomacy Was Working Until Trump Abandoned It
Presidents make lonely, difficult decisions about the use of force to protect U.S. interests—usually with the solace of knowing at least that diplomacy had failed. The tragedy of the current plight is that diplomacy was succeeding before it was abandoned.
Trump Just Formally Pulled the U.S. Out of the Paris Agreement. This Is a Dark Day for America.
By putting up roadblocks to the necessary transition to a low-carbon global economy, Trump is making American businesses less competitive and leaving new jobs and economic opportunities up for grabs to other countries.
Our Kurdish Allies Are Being Slaughtered. The Worst May Be Yet to Come
With the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria, Trump has made it infinitely harder, if not impossible, for the United States to do what he claims he wants: ask allies to share in the burden of national security.
China and India Must Step Up on Climate Change
Since the Paris agreement was adopted, climate analysts have argued that the initial commitments made by more than 185 countries were insufficient to reach the agreement’s goals in fighting climate change.
Forget Trump. We All Must Act on Climate Change.
Scientists tell us we must act now to avoid the ravages of climate change. If we fail, future generations will judge us all as failures, not just this president.
The Urgent Need to Save Our Oceans
You have to go to the source of the problem to solve a challenge as vast as the health of the world’s oceans. But government can’t do it alone.
Help Us Protect Oceans From Climate Change, Pollution, Overfishing
Destructive and illegal fishing practices are resulting in more and bigger boats fishing for fewer and smaller fish.
Saving Our Future
The global economy is accelerating at a digital pace, but our systems and politics are stuck in the industrial age. People sometimes choose the wrong path when they’ve lost confidence in the old answers.