US climate envoy Kerry says islands face ‘beyond existential’ threat | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

US climate envoy Kerry says islands face ‘beyond existential’ threat | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

US climate envoy John Kerry said Tuesday island nations faced a situation "beyond existential" due to climate change, as he called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies and coal plant financing.

The 20 countries responsible for most of the world's emissions had a "special responsibility" to take action, Kerry said -- but warned they were not "moving in the same direction" or fast enough.

"When I talk to some of the island state leaders they are not just considering adaptation and resilience, they are considering where they are going to move to," Kerry told a virtual seminar during the Manila-based Asian Development Bank's annual meeting.