Kerry assessments optimistic for COVID as UN local weather summit enters ultimate stretch

U.S. local weather envoy John Kerry has examined optimistic for COVID-19 whereas attending the United Nations COP27 local weather summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, his workplace confirmed Friday.

“Secretary Kerry is self-isolating after testing optimistic for COVID-19 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. He’s totally vaccinated and boosted and experiencing gentle signs,” a Kerry spokesperson mentioned. “He’s working together with his negotiations staff and overseas counterparts by telephone to make sure a profitable final result of COP27.”

Kerry’s optimistic check comes three days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif examined optimistic for the virus, though it’s unclear whether or not Sharif, who additionally visited the U.Ok. after touring to Egypt, contracted COVID-19 on the summit.

Kerry additionally just lately met with Xie Zhenhua, China’s main negotiator on local weather points, to restart long-frozen Washington-Beijing local weather talks. The Hill has reached out to the Chinese language Embassy for clarification on whether or not Xie will take a check.

After strict COVID-19 testing protocols and vaccination necessities have been in place for final yr’s COP26 convention in Glasgow, organizers of the 2022 convention have mentioned vaccination is “strongly inspired” however that proof of vaccination or a damaging check usually are not required for entry into the summit venue.

The announcement comes at a pivotal second for the local weather convention, as member nations put together for negotiations on a ultimate settlement. At explicit difficulty is the push by creating nations for a so-called “loss and harm” fund for nations significantly affected by local weather change, to be paid for by main industrialized nations.

European Union delegates introduced what they known as their “ultimate supply” for loss and damages within the early hours of Friday morning, however didn’t specify the precise monetary mechanism for such a fund.

One other main fault line is an India-backed phasedown of unabated fossil gas manufacturing. India’s push, which has been backed by each the U.S. and the European Union, would broaden past simply coal manufacturing as initially floated.