Biden's climate envoy weighs in ahead of COP27

With the annual COP27 climate conference just days away, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry says the participants must "remain strong on climate ambition" and not back away from pledges made at last year's conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference will be held in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov. 6-18.

John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, said "We seek a collective message out of the COP (27) that the world is going to remain strong on climate ambition and will build on not go backwards from the pledges that were made in Glasgow." We believe we can build on significant climate achievements that with other countries we can transform our economy for the better, creating unbelievable numbers of good jobs, and we can commit to furthering climate actions during this decisive decade."

Egypt's foreign minister will head the conference and he has urged participants to take “meaningful and tangible steps" to implement the 2015 Paris climate accord. The Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperatures from rising another degree Celsius between now and 2100, a key demand of poor countries ravaged by rising sea levels and other effects of climate change.