Brussels (Brussels Morning) The US signaled its return to global climate action initiatives when President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, joined world leaders participating in the virtual Climate Adaptation Summit, organised in the Netherlands, DW reported on Monday.
The Summit, which aims to prepare the planet for the effects of the climate crisis, featured speeches by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Coordinated response
In a video message, Merkel called for greater international cooperation and a coordinated response, invoking a “spirit of partnership” around the world. She also assured poorer countries that they would receive financial support in tackling the effects of climate change.
China’s President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech called on all countries to abandon “ideological prejudice”, asserting that while each country is unique, none is superior to others. He also called on countries not to meddle in one another’s affairs.
The Netherlands kicked off the Summit by announcing a pledge to invest 20 million euro in a fund to help the world’s least-developed nations adapt to climate-related changes, and it earmarked a further 100 million euro for support of sustainable farming in Africa’s Sahel region.
Wasted years
Germany pledged 50 million euro to the Adaptation Fund, to improve access to climate-related financing for developing countries, and an additional 100 million euro to the least developed countries.
Kerry lamented last Thursday that the years under former president Donald Trump amounted to “wasted” time that could have been used to slow climate change.
