Kerry, Russian counterpart vow to tackle increasing climate change with ‘seriousness and urgency’

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and his Russian counterpart on Thursday vowed to address “increasing” climate change with “seriousness and urgency.”

Kerry and Ruslan Edelgeriyev, Russia’s special presidential representative on climate issues and an adviser to President Vladimir Putin, spoke this week to discuss climate change. Kerry is on a three-day visit to Moscow, which has also included a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The two leaders committed to “robust implementation” of the Paris climate agreement and its temperature controls through “significant efforts in this decade and the global pursuit of net-zero emissions, recognizing the importance of enhancing carbon sequestration by forests and other ecosystems,” according to a joint statement.

They also said they intend to work together on a number of climate-related issues, including satellite monitoring of emissions and removals of greenhouse gases, forests and agriculture, climate and the Arctic, including black carbon and reducing emissions from sources other than carbon dioxide gases, including methane.

The men also said they plan to join forces and work on enhancing nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies under the Paris agreement, energy efficiency, climate finance, nature-based solutions and implementation of joint climate projects.

Putin expressed interest in working with the U.S. to combat climate change when speaking with Kerry this week, but he offered minimum details regarding how the two countries could collaborate.

“Climate change is one of the areas where Russia and the United States have common interests and similar approaches,” a Kremlin statement said, following a Wednesday phone call between Putin and Kerry.

The two leaders discussed preparations for the Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is scheduled to begin in Glasgow in October, according to the Kremlin’s readout. The Kremlin said they focused on national decarbonization priorities, while also exchanging views on environmental cooperation in the Arctic.

Putin attended the White House climate summit in April. President Biden at the time said he was “heartened” that Putin called for collaborating with other countries to advance with carbon dioxide removal.