Kerry and Bloomberg: "Republican Victory in US Midterm Elections Would Be a Disaster for Climate Change Response"

John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (left), and Michael Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor, are shaking hands at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) event in Egypt on the 8th (local time).
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Michael Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor, expressed concerns that a Republican victory in the U.S. midterm elections would be a disaster for climate change response.

On the 8th (local time), according to Bloomberg News and the British daily The Independent, Special Envoy Kerry stated at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) held in Egypt that if the Democrats lose the House of Representatives to the Republicans in the U.S. midterm elections, the amount of funding the U.S. government provides to support climate change response in poor countries would decrease.

On the same day, midterm election voting was held in the U.S. to elect 35 of the 100 senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 36 governors, 46 state legislators, and 30 state attorneys general. In the U.S., it is anticipated that the Republicans are likely to win the House, while the Senate race is expected to be very close.

Former Mayor Bloomberg criticized the previous Republican administration under Donald Trump for not even acknowledging the climate crisis. He said, "While the U.S. government was dozing at the wheel, we launched the C40 initiative," expressing concern over the Republican victory in the midterm elections. C40 is an international coalition of major cities worldwide formed to respond to climate change.

Special Envoy Kerry and former Mayor Bloomberg launched a $15 billion investment plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The $15 billion funding will be raised through U.S. state governments and former Mayor Bloomberg.

Special Envoy Kerry emphasized, "We must stake everything on keeping the global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees," adding, "Not only governments but also cities, states, and communities must play a crucial role." Former Mayor Bloomberg stressed, "Ultimately, we need to reduce energy consumption in cities," and "The role of mayors is very important."

The funds prepared by Special Envoy Kerry and former Mayor Bloomberg will be primarily used to implement the Global Methane Pledge. The Global Methane Pledge is an agreement established at COP26 held last year in Glasgow, UK, aiming to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.