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Sitting in a taxi in Munich in February, stuck in traffic, John Kerry wrestled with an idea. The U.S. climate envoy was in southern Germany to attend an annual security conference, spending his days pushing world leaders to work together to fight global warming. But in a few hours, the former Secretary of State would receive an award named in honor of a well-known Nazi resister, Ewald von Kleist. As he ruminated on his remarks, he worked to connect what he called the “echoes of the 1930s” in today’s geopolitics with the need for unity on climate action.
By the khbrknews he took the stage to accept the award that night, Kerry had found the words to make the connection in a blunt speech lasting less than 15 minutes. “On climate, on Ukraine, and on so much more, the whole world needs to come together,” he told the dignitaries gathered in the ornate Bavarian palace where the ceremony was being held. “I hate to say it, and it’s not an exaggeration—but we do stand next to another abyss. It is the test of our own times, a test as acute and as existential as any previous one.”
Read More: It’s a New Era of Climate Geopolitics. And It’s Not Just For Policy Wonks
Over the past 40 years, Kerry has used his positions as U.S. Senator, Democratic nominee for President, and top American diplomat to bring climate action to the highest levels of international relations, using his stature and knack for persuasion to push the issue at home and abroad. As a Senator, he showed up at global climate meetings to keep the U.S. engaged. He would eventually piece together a bold, if ultimately unsuccessful, congressional effort to price carbon. Running for President, he leaned into the climate message with a commitment unlike any major-party nominee before him. And as Secretary of State he made the issue a State Department priority, created a global oceans conference that continues to this day, and helped broker the landmark Paris Agreement.
As the issue has risen on the…
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