US and Russia Take First Step to Improve Relations Through Joint Climate Change Response

John Kerry, White House Climate Envoy (right), and Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The United States and Russia, which began improving relations through last month's summit, have taken their first step toward cooperation by jointly addressing climate change.

John Kerry, the White House Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, agreed on the 13th (local time) at the Kremlin to closely cooperate on climate change response, according to major foreign media reports on the same day. The foreign media analyzed this as the first positive sign showing a reduction in tensions between the two countries following last month's summit.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit last month in Geneva, Switzerland. Presidents Biden and Putin agreed to seek improved relations and promised to find areas where the U.S. and Russia could cooperate. After the summit, climate change was identified as one of the agendas where the two countries could expand cooperation.

The U.S. and Russia have clashed repeatedly over issues such as allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, cyberattacks, and the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Even after the summit, uncomfortable relations persisted amid allegations of Russian involvement in ransomware attacks on American companies. However, the meeting between Special Envoy Kerry and Minister Lavrov has created the possibility of a new turning point.

Before the meeting with Minister Lavrov, Special Envoy Kerry stated that although the U.S. and Russia have many differences, there are areas where they can cooperate on climate change response. Kerry said, "Addressing climate change is very important and meaningful," adding, "The U.S. and Russia need to move together and I believe we can cooperate in other areas as well."

Minister Lavrov said, "Special Envoy Kerry's visit to Russia is an important and positive signal in terms of improving bilateral relations, easing tensions, and finding common interests," adding, "Russia wants to work closely with the U.S. for the success of the upcoming talks in Glasgow, UK, this fall." The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is scheduled to be held in Glasgow this November.

Special Envoy Kerry and Minister Lavrov have served as important communication channels when the U.S. and Russia needed to improve relations. Having served as U.S. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017, Kerry and Lavrov have maintained a close relationship. They spoke by phone in February and had a brief meeting in New Delhi, India, in April.

President Biden has treated climate change response as one of his policy priorities and emphasized the need for cooperation with Russia. Russia is the world's fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter.

As temperatures rise in Siberia and floods and wildfires become more frequent, climate change is emerging as an important issue in Russia as well. President Putin said last month that human-induced climate change is a tragedy and that humans must minimize their impact on the environment.

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