The Republican House Needs to Cancel John Kerry

 

From Front Page Mag.com (July 26, 2023):

Last week 24 House Republicans introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Climate Zealots Advancing Radical Schemes Act which if passed will defund our “climate czar” John Kerry’s office. This federal feed-bag is beyond political accountability to the voters or Congress, but at least the taxpayers will not be footing the bill for his emissions-spewing, global gallivanting to promote suicidal climate policies.

A Congressional rebuke would be a fitting end to Kerry’s public career––one marked by thoughtless adherence to leftish Democrat shibboleths, new-world-order received wisdom, and bad policies dangerous to our national security and interests.

Kerry’s latest junket was to China last week to coax the communist regime to remain on board with the West’s suicidal “green” energy demonization of cheap, abundant fossil fuels as codified in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.  That’s a big reason for the House’s bill to defund the energy czar’s $14 million budget and his staff of 45.

As Rep. Chip Roy (R. Texas) put it, Kerry is the “poster child for the Biden administration’s anti-energy policies that are destroying both our economy and national security.” The trip to China, Roy adds, which is “the top threat to our national security and the world’s number one polluter,” will do nothing but “further hamstring our energy policy.”

Moreover, approaching China as a suppliant and de facto junior partner––Xi didn’t deign to meet with Kerry personally–– in our relationship only emboldens our global rival to continue with its duplicitous diplomacy. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out the obvious, China’s agreement to stick with the Paris deal is “another way of saying Beijing intends to keep increasing its carbon emissions for another seven years. From 2015 to 2022 China’s greenhouse gas emissions grew nearly 12%, while the U.S. cut them by some 5%, according to the Climate Action Tracker.”

And it’s not just China’s duplicity about mitigating “global warming.” China understands that the West is in thrall to the climate-change cult and its “green energy” psalter, and takes such meetings as a way to leverage influence over our foreign policy by dangling the promise of cooperation on greenhouse gas emissions, of which China is by far the biggest emitter––almost as big as the next four emitters combined.

The Journal continues,  “The Chinese summary [of the meeting] said Mr. Wang [foreign affairs chief]  mentioned how Beijing wants the U.S. to ‘pursue a rational, pragmatic, and positive policy toward China’ and ‘properly handle the Taiwan issue,’ among other things.” The explicit acknowledgement of the quid pro quo, which China will not honor, is just another bold assertion of China’s superior position vis-à-vis its geopolitical rival.

It’s obvious that such negotiating in bad faith has long characterized China’s behavior once one looks at the Chi-Com’s deeds rather than listening to its dishonest tactical rhetoric. While the West has been dismantling its supply of cheap fossil fuels, according to Climate Action Tracker, the Journal reports,  “China’s emissions under current policies remain sky high with no sign of substantial emission reductions before the 2030 peaking timeline.”

And no wonder, given that China has been building dirty-coal plants hand over fist. The Journal continues, Climate Action Tracker tells us that China’s “coal production reached record levels in 2022 for the second year running.” According to S&P, “China has added some 112 gigawatts of new coal-fired power plants.” Global Energy Monitor writes, “As of January China had some 306 coal-fired power stations proposed, permitted or under construction. . . . When finished those plants would generate some 366 gigawatts, or about 68% of the world’s total coal capacity under development.” And don’t forget the 180 new coal mines that will “produce some 657 million metric tonnes per year upon completion and could release as much as eight million tonnes of methane emissions a year.” [read more]

Yea, Congress should cancel Lurch.