John Kerry says we can't leave climate emergency to 'neanderthals' in power

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/03/john-kerry-says-we-cant-leave-climate-emergency-to-neanderthals-in-power

John Kerry says we can't leave climate emergency to 'neanderthals' in power

Lisa Martin

Tue 3 Sep 2019 06.50 BST Last modified on Tue 3 Sep 2019 07.22 BST

The former US secretary of state John Kerry has warned that humanity risks marching off a cliff unless governments take immediate action to fight the climate emergency.

In a keynote address to the Global Table food and agriculture conference, Kerry made veiled swipes at the Australian government’s lack of climate and energy policy. He also weighed in on the heated debate about the massive Adani coalmine proposed for north Queensland.

“We just can’t sit on our asses and leave the political process to neanderthals who don’t want to believe in the future,” Kerry told the audience in Melbourne. “We have a dearth of leadership, but this will turn.”

The former US Democratic presidential candidate said it was not a choice between taking action on the climate emergency and securing jobs and growth.

“They are not separate. And anybody who persists in putting forward that notion that you have to make the choice – you can either have jobs plus prosperity or you can protect the environment and the future. That’s a lie.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of people running around trying to save the status quo – when the status quo is actually feeding a lot of jobs that don’t make sense.”

He said the transition to carbon emission-neutral economies would create better jobs and noted that the fastest growing employment opportunities in the US were for solar power and wind power turbine technicians.

He contrasted the growing US solar workforce of 300,000 people with the declining coal workforce of 50,000. Two years ago 75% of new electricity coming online in the US was renewable energy compared with 0.2% coal.

“We have to make better choices,” Kerry said.
(snip)

[Guilded Lilly]

1. Keep that voice loud and strong, Kerry! N/T