US 'proud to be back' in climate fight, Kerry tells leaders

[AMSTERDAM] The United States is "proud to be back" in international efforts to tackle global warming, Washington's new special climate envoy John Kerry told a summit of world leaders on Monday.

US President Joe Biden is this week expected to release more policies to tackle climate change after rejoining the 2015 Paris climate agreement that predecessor Donald Trump quit saying it was too costly to the US economy.

"We're proud to be back. We come back with humility for the absence over the last four years and we will do everything in our power to make up for it," Mr Kerry told the virtual Climate Adaptation Summit, hosted by the Netherlands, by video link.

Mr Kerry was joined by China's Deputy Prime Minister Han Zheng, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and others.

"President Biden has made fighting climate change a top priority of his administration. We have a president now, thank God, who leads, tells the truth and is seized by this issue," Mr Kerry said.

Mr Kerry, who signed the Paris agreement when he was US secretary of state, said Washington would "make good" on previous global climate finance commitments by investing in climate action domestically and abroad.

Under former President Barack Obama, the United States pledged US$3 billion to the global Green Climate Fund to help vulnerable countries fight climate change but only delivered US$1 billion.

REUTERS