Claiming to be a 'Climate Leader'... US Fossil Fuel Production Increase Cited as "Because of the War"

John Kerry Climate Envoy Foreign Media Interview

The Biden administration, which prides itself as a 'global climate leader,' stated that producing the most oil and gas in the world this year was an inevitable choice to prevent energy price hikes caused by the war.

John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (photo left)

John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, during an interview with major foreign media on the 4th (local time) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he attended the 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP28), said, "The increase in (oil and gas) production reflects the Ukraine war, efforts to recover from COVID-19, and Russia's halt of gas supplies to Europe." He explained, "We are sending a lot of (energy) there to help them."

Currently, the United States has the largest oil and gas production in the world. This year, the U.S. surpassed Qatar to become the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the daily LNG production capacity of seven terminals in the country is 11.4 billion cubic feet (cf), enough to fully meet the demand of Germany and France combined. Crude oil production is also the highest globally. As members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+) have cut production, U.S. crude oil output reached a record high of 13.2 million barrels per day as of September.

This trend directly contradicts the Biden administration’s policy stance, which has driven eco-friendly policies while declaring carbon neutrality by 2050. Reflecting awareness of environmentalists’ criticism, President Biden attended COP26 and COP27 for two consecutive years after his inauguration in 2021 but did not participate in this year’s conference.

Special Envoy Kerry argued that the surge in energy prices due to the war made it unavoidable to increase fossil fuel production but emphasized that the plan to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal remains unchanged. He said, "We are at a crossroads to keep the 1.5-degree target," and stressed, "What we need to do is find ways for everyone to transition (their energy)." The '1.5-degree target' refers to the commitment made by countries worldwide in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

Regarding former President Donald Trump, who is likely to run in the U.S. presidential election next November and has announced plans to expand fossil fuel production if elected, Kerry emphasized, "No politician can change what is happening on Earth to respond to the crisis."

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