John Kerry Worries Russian Invasion of Ukraine May Distract From Fighting Climate Change
As the world waited and watched for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House climate envoy John Kerry expressed concern for the residents of the country and the “principles that are at risk.” But he also raised…
As the world waited and watched for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House climate envoy John Kerry expressed concern for the residents of the country and the “principles that are at risk.”
But he also raised concern about another potential impact of the invasion: it might distract countries from their efforts to combat Climate Change.
During an interview with the BBC dated Feb. 23, Kerry said, “I’m very concerned about Ukraine because of the people of Ukraine and because of the principles that are at risk in terms of international law and trying to change boundaries of international law by force. I thought we lived in a world that had said no to that kind of activity. And I hope diplomacy will win.”
He went on to raise concerns about the “massive emissions consequences to the war.”
“But equally importantly, you’re going to lose peoples’ focus. You’re going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted. And I think you could have a damaging impact,” he continued.
Finally, Kerry said, “I hope President Putin will help us to stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate.”