John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State and special climate envoy, speaks at the 10th Our Ocean Conference in the southeastern port city of Busan. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
BUSAN, April 29 (Korea Bizwire) — John Kerry, former U.S. secretary of state and special climate envoy, said Tuesday the global transition to clean energy is “unstoppable” despite uncertainties in the U.S. administration’s climate policies.
“The world marketplace has made its decision. It is transitioning (to clean energy),” Kerry said.
“The only challenge for all of us is not, ‘Will we get to a low carbon, no carbon economy?’ The question is, ‘Will we get there in time to avoid the worst consequences of the crisis?’” he added, noting the shift to renewable energies from fossil fuels is “unstoppable.”
Kerry made the remarks in a press briefing held on the first day of the 10th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) held in Busan, about 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Kerry, who spearheaded the establishment of the event a decade ago, was among some 2,300 officials who have joined the two-day conference, including government delegates from 100 countries and leaders of international institutions and nongovernmental organizations.
Kerry called for the international community’s joint efforts to promote “green shipping” for sustainable growth of the oceans industry, dispelling concerns the Donald Trump administration’s anti-climate policies will severely affect the global trend toward decarbonization.
“If shipping itself were to be a country, it would be the eighth-largest carbon emitter in the world,” he said. “That’s how significant some of these impacts are.”
On the Trump administration’s reported opposition to the International Maritime Organization’s plans for a global carbon tax, Kerry said Trump may “slow things down” but will not be able to reverse the global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
“Just because we have a new (U.S.) president, the president of Ford Motor Company, or the CEOs of General Motors or Mercedes or Volkswagen or Porsche will not suddenly say, ‘Let’s go back to the United States and go back to making internal combustion engine cars,’” he said.
Kerry said even China has been making efforts for energy transition with an announcement about new energy storage capacity.
Peter Thomson, the United Nations secretary general’s special envoy for the ocean, also said the “great majority of countries carry on with multilateral regulations” and the international community will continue to “do the right thing” in accordance with international agreements.
Earlier in the day, Seoul proposed the “Korea Blue Action Plan,” which comprises 76 pledges on efforts to promote the sustainability of the ocean sector, as the host country of this year’s OOC.
The pledges include efforts to expand marine protected areas across the world to achieve “30 by 30,” a worldwide initiative aimed at designating 30 percent of land and oceans as protected areas by 2030.
South Korea also plans to promote the use of eco-friendly fuels for vessels and make efforts to decrease marine plastic pollution.
(Yonhap)
