Kerry to travel to UAE, India to discuss climate change

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will visit the United Arab Emirates and India this week as part of a White House effort to strengthen climate commitments from other major emitters.

The trip, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed by the State Department Wednesday afternoon. The former secretary of State will join a summit Sunday in Abu Dhabi with regional representatives.

India is the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the U.S. Washington-Beijing relations are particularly fraught after an acrimonious summit between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese diplomats.

Kerry previously praised India for its steps to transition to renewable energy at the World Sustainable Development Summit earlier this year, calling the nation a “red-hot investment opportunity.”

“We believe India can be one of the most critical transitional countries in this entire endeavour,” Kerry said. “I am confident that just as we have worked very closely on any number of issues in these last years, our two nations – the world’s two biggest democracies – have a great deal to gain from joining hands in our global leadership and confronting the climate crisis to meet this moment.”

The UAE, meanwhile, is a frequent stop for diplomats en route to India, and has been the focus of much of Kerry’s early international entreaties, the Journal reported. Kerry said in January that he was in touch with his Emirati counterpart on issues specific to the Middle East.

The Abu Dhabi summit is also set to include representatives from Qatar, the first time the Gulf nation has been invited to such an event since earlier in 2020 when Saudi Arabia drew down a longtime blockade of the country.

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Updated at 4:15 p.m.