Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw spoke yesterday with President Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Mr. Kerry this morning about the urgency with which our governments must confront the climate emergency. I am grateful to him and his team for taking the time to speak with me about how to ensure the strongest global response to the climate crisis.

“I shared with Mr. Kerry how pleased I was that one of President Biden’s first actions was to re-join the Paris Agreement. There is no question that having the US back at the table will make a big difference to international efforts to deal with the climate emergency.

“Mr. Kerry was clear that the United States’ response to climate change would be driven by scientific evidence.

“Among the topics we discussed were our shared objective of raising global ambition ahead of the global climate talks in Glasgow at the end of the year and the impact of climate change on our Pacific neighbours.

“New Zealand is committed to working with the United States in the months ahead as we approach the crucial global climate talks in Glasgow at the end of year. I look forward to speaking with Mr. Kerry again soon to share the progress we have made, as well as the work we still have ahead,” James Shaw said.

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