Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry is being blasted for using a private jet on his trip to China to ironically talk about climate change.
During his three-day visit in Beijing, Kerry met with the ruling Communist Party’s head of foreign relations, Wang Yi, telling him that President Joe Biden hoped that the two nations could “achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world.”
Wang said that although there had been a lack of communication between the two countries, China now believes that by starting up again, “we can find a proper solution to any problems.”
“Sometimes, small problems can become big problems,” Wang added before saying that dialogue must be conducted on an “equal basis.”
Kerry is the third senior White House official in recent weeks to travel to Beijing for meetings with their counterparts, following Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The climate envoy was then criticized for traveling by jet, which has been a recurring problem for Kerry. Last year, he was bombarded by reporters after attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on a private jet.
“I fly commercial exclusively!” Kerry, at the time, was heard shouting at a reporter.
According to a Fox News report from July 2022, Kerry’s family jet has emitted over 300 metric tons of carbon dioxide since the Biden administration began.
“Kerry’s family jet, a Gulfstream GIV-SP, has made a total of 48 trips lasting more than 60 hours and emitted an estimated 715,886 pounds, or 325 metric tons, of carbon since President Biden was sworn into office, according to federal data obtained by Fox News Digital via FlightAware. The plane belongs to Flying Squirrel LLC., a charter company owned by Kerry’s wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry and in which Kerry reported owning a more than $1 million stake on his most recent financial disclosure,” the news outlet wrote in its report.
Biden appointed Kerry to oversee the State Department’s outreach on international climate policy shortly after taking office in January 2021. Since then, Kerry has visited numerous countries for discussions with foreign leaders, United Nations (UN) climate conferences, and the WEF annual meeting.
