Kerry: Pentagon review to cite climate change risks

Kerry, a key architect of Senate climate plans, emphasized national security in calling for activists to fight for legislation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. He said requiring emissions cuts and boosting alternative energy would curb spending on oil imports that makes its way into unfriendly hands.

“Some of that money goes to al-Qaeda, goes to Hezbollah, goes to Hamas,” Kerry said.

Kerry is working with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on climate and energy legislation they hope can garner 60 votes. But imposing mandatory caps on heat-trapping emissions faces large hurdles in the Senate.

Negotiations over the bill include options that differ from the sweeping, economy-wide cap-and-trade plan the House narrowly approved last year.

But Kerry today insisted that the trio is not backing away from imposing emissions limits, while reiterating that the structure of their plan remains in flux. “We have not scaled back our goals,” Kerry said.

“We are going to price carbon and we are going to set a target,” he said. “Cap is on the table, trade is on the table, all these things are on the table.”