PARIS (December 9, 2015)—Today, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. will provide $800 million in climate change adaptation aid. Below is a reaction statement by Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
"In his speech today, Secretary Kerry sounded the right notes on urgency and the need for much greater ambition in coming to grips with the climate crisis. The announcement of additional support for vulnerable countries to take action to cope with the mounting impacts of climate change is especially welcome, and comes at a key point in the Paris climate negotiations.
"The prize of an ambitious, comprehensive, and effective long-term climate agreement is within our grasp, if compromises can be found on the remaining crunch issues. Secretary Kerry has long been a leader on the climate issue and his leadership will be needed more than ever over the remaining days of the climate talks here in Paris."