Kerry says India ‘getting job done’ on climate

U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry praised India as “getting the job done” on combating climate change during a trip to visit the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. 

“India is getting the job done on climate, pushing the curve,” Kerry said in New Delhi, according to Reuters. “You are indisputably a world leader already in the deployment of renewable energy.”

The former secretary of State is traveling to multiple nations in his efforts to secure greater international commitments on climate change.

Prior to his trip to India, he visited the United Arab Emirates, and both the U.S. and UAE said they would invest in decarbonization efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. 

India, which struggles with air pollution, is not likely to join the U.S. in its commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, as the country is expected to have the world’s largest energy demand growth in the coming years, sources told Reuters. 

Kerry has repeatedly stressed that all nations, including the U.S., the world’s second-largest emitter, have to “raise ambition.”

The Biden administration will hold a virtual climate summit later this month and has invited leaders from 17 countries that are responsible for about 80 percent of global emissions and total gross domestic product. 

The U.S. is slated to announce its own updated Paris climate agreement goals ahead of the meeting. 

In his remarks in India, Kerry said that it is a “very strong example” for using clean energy. 

“That kind of urgency is exactly what we need to confront global climate change,” he said.

Speaking to a United Nations summit in December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country had reduced emissions by 21 percent compared to 2005 levels and that it has the world’s fourth-largest renewable energy capacity.