John Kerry delivers address for 2019 climate conference

Former Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about the Paris Climate Agreement, the key elements to negate the consequences of climate change and his optimism for the future Thursday at Bovard Auditorium.

Kerry opened “Climate Forward: Navigating the Politics of Climate Change,” a one-day conference meant to start a conversation on climate change between people and leaders on both sides of the political spectrum. More than 1,000 people attended the event.

Kerry said he did not come to USC to be partisan or political but to speak the truth. Looking toward the 2020 presidential election, he said it is important for voters to elect a leader who realizes the impact of climate change and will work toward environmental progress.

“Science has been screaming at us, warning us, compelling us to act,” Kerry said. “Climate change is going to impact every single nation on the Earth and sector of the global economy … We have no time to waste debating alternative facts.”

Kerry spoke about the Paris Climate Accord and its goal to convey that climate change is a prominent issue that must be addressed by the global community.

“What we’re feeling proud about was sending a message, an unprecedented message to  the marketplace and to the private sector, [saying] ‘Hey guys, 196 countries are all going to reduce their [carbon] emissions — all simultaneously respond to this great challenge,’” Kerry said.

Kerry also discussed the effects of the recent wildfires on Californians and listed other examples of the effects of climate change, including the melting of glaciers and the heightened impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Dean Amber Miller, who introduced Kerry, also mentioned the fire during her introduction. She lost her childhood home to the Woosley fire last November, which influenced her thoughts/opinion of climate change.

“The increasing incidents of these fires, not just to California, but around the world, is just one direct effects of a warming planet,” Miller said.

Characterizing himself as an optimist, Kerry said he believes people have the ability to reverse these effects, but only if they act upon it, especially through grassroots movements.

“In 1970, when I was just back I joined in the effort in Massachusetts to organize Earth Day. It was an eye-opening immersion of the power of grassroots to force a problem onto the national radar screen and to force action,” Kerry said. “We brought 20 million Americans out of their homes in one single day, but we didn’t stop [there]. We took those 20 million Americans and converted them into the instruments of political action.”

Even though the United States dropped out of the Paris Agreement in 2017, Kerry said 37 states have made progress toward renewable energy, demonstrating Americans’ commitment to environmental conservation.

Kerry encouraged more young voters to participate in the 2020 elections, so they can influence change and create a better future for themselves.

“In this midterm election, we had a youth vote that went from 19% to 31% … but it still means that 69% of young people, who have the greatest stake of all in the future, didn’t choose to vote,” Kerry said. “And we have to blame the politicians. Blame the people who are turning people off from the system … who are not giving people the vision of what we can really do to build our economy [and] change the future.”

Frank Lee, a freshman majoring in law, history and culture, agreed with Kerry’s points and said he was pleased to hear Kerry talk in a bipartisan manner.

“It was a really informative talk. [Kerry] gave a lot of useful information,” Lee said. “He articulated [his thoughts] without being too partisan, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said, and I think he explained it in a clear manner.”