Joe Biden made it clear early on in his presidency that he treats climate change seriously. The choice of John Kerry, a very experienced politician, as Presidential Envoy for Climate should therefore come as no surprise.

John Kerry – the man who can communicate with Xi on climate issues

John Kerry served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration from 2012 to 2017 and is certainly a man everyone listens to attentively. Kerry is right claiming that the climate crisis is a global crisis, meaning that it is not only supra-political, but also supra-national. John Kerry has signalled the need to negotiate with China on the climate crisis on several occasions. “If we don’t have China, nobody else can make to that goal”, he said in the context of climate at the last G20 summit.

He has also repeatedly mentioned that climate change, as well as the unpredictability of nature connected with industrial activity, are more dangerous to civilisation than Kim Jong Un’s threats. There is no exaggeration in this statement, as both the United States and China are the largest emitters of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and therefore bear the greatest responsibility for global warming.

Mutual interest, conflicts and difficult talks between two superpowers

How is China reacting to the offer of cooperation regarding environmental issues? Despite its recent political declarations on halting climate change, China seems to be making purely declarative statements. The recently refreshed dialogue between the two most industrialised superpowers with a major impact on emissions has been difficult due to China’s reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan on 2 August 2022, when China, or rather Xi Jinping, decided to break off climate talks. Following the meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping on 14 November, China and the US have reopened communication channels on climate issues.

In the current situation, the chances of renewing the dialogue and the brunt of the negotiations, which are not easy, as they are shadowed by the economic and political conflict between the US and China, rests precisely on the shoulders of John Kerry (and his Chinese counterpart). As a matter of fact, political consensus on climate issues is also in the vital interest of the Middle Kingdom, as models of climate change due to CO2 emissions indicate the likelihood of crop stability problems in China if drastic and unpopular emission-reducing changes are not implemented. Besides, China has long wanted to take at least as much responsibility for the planet as the USA, it has global ambitions and makes no secret of it at all, and global warming is precisely a global issue.

China-US relations as a key to preventing climate catastrophe

In the current situation, it is difficult to hear the two superpowers make specific declarations on the details of the talks: the distribution of costs, the extent of economic and energy changes not only related to big industry, but also to households, i.e. the behaviour of ordinary energy users.

Nor does it seem that the Chinese administration lacks an understanding of the climate issue, which, as Kerry has repeatedly said, is planet-wide and pertains to all of mankind. China appears, at least verbally, to be cooperating.

However, as is the habit of all authoritarian states – the country is using the climate issue to push their ambitions with regard to Taiwan and other disputed territories, which is met with a strong reaction from the US. However, an intensification of the Washington-Beijing cooperation crucial for the fate of the world is not out of the question, because, just as the two countries compete on a daily basis, their rivalry in the field of ecology can only bring good results for us all.

Maciej Skomorowski