Kerry also enjoyed a warm relationship with China’s climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua. They gave a joint press conference at the end of Cop28 in which they talked of their friendship, and soon afterwards retired within weeks of each other.
By contrast, China played little public role at Cop30, though behind the scenes it did not object to the fossil fuel phaseout roadmap nor to attempts to make direct reference to it in the legal outcome text.
“I do not feel that kind of effort of diplomacy [from developed countries towards the Chinese] was made in the walk-up to this Cop,” he said.
Kerry also warned that new ways must be found to persuade people to make the climate crisis “a voting issue” to force politicians to take notice. “What is clear here is that people do not want to hear all the bad things. They want to know how this [transition to clean energy] makes their lives better,” he said. “If you say it, their eyes glaze over. You have to say there is a better choice for you.”
Already, with insurers refusing to insure homes at threat in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and other US states, people were facing higher mortgage rates or the possibility of not being able to buy or stay in their homes. “If you say to people, you could save money on energy and here is what you will have to spend on your mortgage [if we stick with fossil fuels], then people will begin to understand the practicalities.”
