ASHINGTON, April 22, 2013 – When President Obama nominated then-Senator John Kerry,
D-Mass., as Secretary of State in January, political insiders and
activists alike wondered whether the former Democratic presidential nominee would bring
his environmentalist leanings to bear in the State Department. Though there has
been little evidence of dramatic changes in Foggy Bottom, Secy. Kerry’s Earth
Day statement shows no waffling on the issue of climate change: “As was clear
in President Obama’s second inaugural address and in his State of the Union
message, the United States is committed to meeting this challenge [of climate
change] head on,” he said in a statement.
“The science is screaming at all of us and demands action,”
he continued. “From the far reaches of Antarctica’s Ross Sea to tropical
wetlands in Southeast Asia, we have a responsibility to safeguard and
sustainably manage our planet’s natural resources, and the United States
remains firm in its commitment to addressing global environmental challenges.”
As noted in the statement, Kerry participated in the first
Earth Day in 1970. His political association with the environmental movement began
in 1982, when he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. In that
position, Kerry was heavily involved in the issue of acid rain and contributed policy to the National Governors Association resolution that became the Clean Air Act.
The full text of his Earth Day statement is below:
The United States joins countries around the world today in
commemorating Earth Day. Ever since I was involved in the first Earth Day in
Massachusetts, way back in 1970, this has always been a day to reflect on our
environmental challenges and our responsibility to safeguard our God-given
natural resources on a fragile planet we share with the rest of humanity and
which we must protect for future generations.
This year’s Earth Day theme, the Faces of Climate Change,
puts a special focus on the very real impact climate change has on people
everywhere, and demonstrates just how clearly connected we all are. What one
country does impacts the livelihoods of people elsewhere – and what we all do
to address climate change now will largely determine the kind of planet we
leave for our children and generations to come. As was clear in President
Obama’s second inaugural address and in his State of the Union message, the
United States is committed to meeting this challenge head on, working in
cooperation with our partners around the world through ambitious actions to
reduce emissions, transform our energy economy, and help the most vulnerable
cope with the effects of climate change. Dealing responsibly with the clear and
present danger of climate change was a focus of my recent trip to China, and it
is a challenge I will be engaging to meet everywhere I travel as Secretary of
State. If ever there was an issue that demanded greater cooperation,
partnership, and committed diplomacy, this is it.
The science is screaming at all of us and demands action.
From the far reaches of Antarctica’s Ross Sea to tropical wetlands in Southeast
Asia, we have a responsibility to safeguard and sustainably manage our planet’s
natural resources, and the United States remains firm in its commitment to
addressing global environmental challenges.
#30
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