US climate envoy John Kerry insisted Tuesday the United States was open to seeking middle ground on a controversy that threatens to overtake an upcoming world climate summit: a growing demand from poorer countries that the United States and other richer companies pay compensation as the culprits most responsible for wrecking the Earth's climate.
“We believe we have to step up, and we have a responsibility. We accept that," Kerry told reporters after an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations, two weeks ahead of an annual UN climate conference, this time in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh. With emissions from coal, oil and natural gas threatening to break through the threshold set in the Paris climate accord, the Biden administration and others are eager to keep summit negotiations on track for deeper emission cuts.
