John Kerry, the former US secretary of state, has described Donald Trump as the "biggest loser" for dismantling American climate action. Speaking at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey, Kerry argued that the decision has cost the United States both influence and economic ground in the global transition to clean energy.
Talks at Cop31 began on Monday in Antalya, a resort city on Turkey's southern coast. Nearly every country has sent representatives to the negotiations, but the United States has not sent a delegation at all. That absence stands out against the backdrop of Trump's earlier decision to withdraw the country from the international climate process and to scrap a series of emission-reduction measures introduced by previous administrations.
Kerry said the policy shift has effectively handed the clean energy race to China, which has been investing heavily in renewable technology and manufacturing. In his view, the United States is giving up ground it could otherwise hold in a fast-growing global market. He also argued that the climate crisis remains a central concern for voters, suggesting the issue has not lost its political weight at home despite the retreat from federal policy.
The summit has also drawn attention from other leaders. Andy Burnham, speaking as UK prime minister, addressed delegates in Antalya and said the international climate consensus has "gone". He pledged a new era of leadership on the issue, setting a sharply different tone from Washington's current position.
Credit. Based on reporting by Oliver Milman for The Guardian. Is this your work? Write to us.
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