Kerry: Obama’s climate change targets won’t be reversed

Trump has called climate change a “hoax” and vowed to cut off funding to United Nations climate change programmes.

Ahead of the negotiations, which are due to end on Friday, development agencies had hoped for the establishment of a work plan on agriculture that would pave the way for more concrete discussions on assistance for struggling small-scale farmers. “But what has changed is that the opponents of any form of carbon pricing feel emboldened by the fact that there will probably be no carbon policy at the federal level in the USA for the next number of years”.

“Finance and investment hold the key to achieving low-emissions and resilient societies”, Ban said in remarks read by his Special Advisor on Climate Change, Bob Orr, to a High-Level Ministerial dialogue on climate financing at the 22nd Conference of Parties Conference (COP 22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“Climate change shouldn’t be a partisan issue in the first place”, Kerry said and explained it is not such an issue for leaders at the Pentagon, the US intelligence community, corporate executives and local politicians. “The private sector is the most important player”. The need to curb emissions also motivates expansion of renewable energy.

The Secretary of State noted since the Obama administration came into office in 2008 that electricity generated by wind power had tripled while solar power generation had grown 30-fold.

“It’s no longer about a few leading green companies who have put themselves forward”, added Pershing.

Major companies joined the chorus, calling for “continuation of low-carbon policies” and investment in a low-carbon economy.

The group also said the USA government should follow the recommendations put forth by the Climate and Security Advisory Group, a “voluntary, non-partisan group of 43 US -based military, national security, homeland security, intelligence and foreign policy experts from a broad range of institutions”, according to its website. “It is imperative that global businesses, like Mars, do their part to face down those threats”. While the city basks under clear, blue, sunny skies, negotiators and attendees at the nearby COP labor under a dark cloud of uncertainty due to the outcome of the recent U.S. presidential elections. Climate policy can not take a sabbatical and wait another four years or another election cycle for more aggressive action. “The consequences of failure would in most cases be irreversible”, Kerry added.

He disclosed that all types of vulnerabilities are concentrated in Africa, as there are already 10 million climate refugees in the continent. “We have to continue the fight”, he said.

“We’re doing this because we see a real business risk”.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr has also said the Liberal cabinet will make a decision by mid-December on the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.

Friends of the Earth global climate campaigner Asad Rehman said: “This excellent news sends yet another signal to Mr Trump that world nations will act together on climate, and that he should reaffirm the USA’s commitment on this issue too”.

“Countries have strongly supported the agreement because they realise their own national interest is best secured by pursuing the common good”. Long-term planning helps to identify synergies between varying public and private decision-makers, Teresa Ribera of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations explained.

It comes as countries meet in Morocco for the latest round of United Nations climate negotiations, focused on implementing the Paris Agreement.