Former President Donald Trump criticized U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry during a town hall in Davenport, Iowa on Dec. 5 and called for increased energy independence in the United States.
The frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination accused Mr. Kerry—a former senator and secretary of state—of “destroying” the United States with his various climate policies and noted how competitor China continues to increase its construction of new coal power plants.
“And John Kerry wants us to stop doing anything we can. We have a country, we have to fire up our factories. Wind is not going to fire up our factories and it’s the most expensive energy,” he continued.
President Trump said the United States “can’t allow China to build a factory a week and we do nothing,” adding that he believes America could be “rich again” so long as Mr. Kerry is stopped, citing the abundant oil and gas resources across the nation.
‘Nuclear Global Warming’
Later President Trump insisted that the “only global warming we should be thinking about or worrying about because it could happen tomorrow is nuclear global warming; not global warming,”
Mr. Kerry announced the commitment at the annual United Nations COP28 climate change summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“To meet our goal of 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035, we need to phase out unabated coal,” he said. “We will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world, building stronger economies and more resilient communities. The first step is to stop making the problem worse: stop building new unabated coal power plants.”
It is not exactly clear when the Biden administration plans to remove existing U.S. coal plants, although President Joe Biden is aiming to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.
Just under 20 percent of U.S. electricity was powered by coal as of October, according to the Department of Energy.
‘We’re Going to Destroy Our Country’
On Tuesday, Mr. Kerry announced that the United States would work with other governments to speed up efforts to make nuclear fusion a new source of carbon-free energy as part of ongoing efforts to combat climate change.The new source of carbon-free energy could be used to power cars and heat and cool homes, among other things, instead of using fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
“We are edging ever-closer to a fusion-powered reality. And at the same time, yes, significant scientific and engineering challenges exist,” Mr. Kerry said. “Careful thought and thoughtful policy is going to be critical to navigate this.”
While he has widely supported efforts to combat climate change, including reducing carbon emissions and transitioning away from fossil fuels, Mr. Kerry has also been criticized by Republicans over his use of a private jet, which came with a considerable carbon footprint.
Speaking during Tuesday’s town hall in Iowa, President Trump argued the United States shouldn’t be pushed into transitioning away from fossil fuels, despite efforts from climate activists such as Mr. Kerry.
“I am an environmentalist, but we’re going to destroy our country with this Green New Deal stuff that doesn’t work just to finish, we have so much wealth and power under our feet. No other country has it,” President Trump said.
