After a visit to China, the US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry will now arrive in India for a five-day visit to discuss climate and clean energy. He is going to visit Delhi and Chennai during his visit from July 25 to 29. In Delhi, Secretary Kerry will meet with senior government officials.
According to a statement from the US State Department, John Kerry’s visit is to advance shared climate and clean energy goals, including joint efforts to build a platform for investment in renewable energy and storage solutions, support the deployment of zero-emission buses and diversify clean energy supply chains.
John Kerry will attend the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting
The G-20 environment and climate sustainability ministers will meet on July 28 in Chennai. Kerry’s visit to India comes at a time when India is focusing more on sustainable energy.
PM Narendra Modi said that India now plans to achieve 50 percent non-fossil installed capacity by 2030. While addressing the G20 energy ministers virtually through the meeting, PM Modi emphasized the importance of energy in shaping the future, sustainability, growth and development of individuals and nations. He expressed that despite the different realities and energy transition paths, the ultimate goal of each country remains the same.
“Without energy, we cannot talk about the future, sustainability or growth and development. It affects development at all levels, from individuals to nations,” the prime minister said at a meeting of G20 ministers.
He also pointed out that India is among the global leaders in solar and wind energy and is making great efforts in green growth and energy transition.
Earlier, US envoy Kerry ended a four-day visit to China on July 19 without any new agreements. In fact, Chinese President Xi Jinping insisted in his speech that China will pursue its goals of phasing out carbon dioxide pollution at its own pace and in its own way.
Still, Kerry appeared encouraged that the world’s two biggest polluters had restarted talks that had been frozen for a year due to strained relations over Taiwan, trade and other issues. He insisted he wasn’t disappointed by the outcome, noting that just talking was progress, according to the Washington Post.
“We’ve had very honest conversations, but we’ve come here to break new ground,” Kerry said, adding: “Obviously we’re going to need a little more work.”
China and the United States could use climate cooperation to redefine their troubled relationship and lead the way in tackling global warming, Kerry told senior Chinese officials on Tuesday. “We hope this can be the beginning of a new definition of cooperation and the ability to resolve differences between us,” Kerry told top diplomat Wang Yi at a meeting in the Great Hall of the People, China’s cavernous legislative building.
