Mitsotakis to Kerry: Greece is committed to the green agenda
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today, at the Maximos Palace, with the US President’s Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, who is visiting Greece.
Rapid penetration of RES in the energy mix
During the meeting, the challenges posed by climate change and the deepening of cooperation between the two countries to address the climate crisis and to implement the goal of zero emissions by 2050 were discussed.
“It is our great pleasure to welcome you to Greece. I really enjoyed the last meeting we had in Riyadh. It is a great privilege that we are able to discuss with you the global challenges we face in relation to energy, biodiversity, climate change”, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at the beginning of the meeting.
“You know how committed Greece is to this agenda and how much progress we have made on numerous fronts over the past three years. I would like to highlight the very rapid penetration of renewable energy into our energy mix. We plan to add 2 gigawatts of Renewable Energy Sources in 2022 alone. And this ranks us among Europe’s pioneers on this front,” he added.
The organization of “Our Ocean Conference” in 2024 in Greece
The discussion was particularly concerned with the preparation of the organization of the International Conference “Our Ocean Conference” in 2024 in Greece.
“Of course, our climate agenda is very broad. I am particularly interested in the issue of protecting our marine ecosystems and I am very happy that we will be able to organize the “Our Ocean Conference” in 2024. I would also like to congratulate the Minister on his commitment to this cause. I’m sure it will be a very powerful Conference. It will also be an opportunity for us to highlight the special importance we attach to the protection of the very sensitive marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. I have a huge interest in this particular issue”, notes Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Excited
Referring to the importance of the Conference, John Kerry said for his part: “We are very excited about the fact that Greece will host the “Our Ocean Conference” in 2024. Many do not realize the connection between oceans and the climate crisis. One cannot solve the issue of the climate crisis without summarizing what is happening in the oceans. And vice versa. “One cannot solve the problems related to the oceans without paying due attention to the climate crisis, because the acidity levels of the oceans are changing dramatically.”
“With 90% of the warming ending up in the ocean, it has a huge impact on phenomena such as flooding, storm intensity and past conditions. We are in this together. The fact that Greece, with its amazing shipping and maritime history, will take the reins after Panama is a perfectly logical choice. So this will be a great step,” he added.
It was instituted under Kerry at the US State Department
It is noted that this important Conference was instituted in 2014 during Mr. Kerry’s tenure as US Secretary of State and has already mobilized more than 1,800 commitments worth more than $108 billion, including in the areas of climate change, sustainable fisheries, “blue economy’, marine protected areas, marine safety and pollution.
The Prime Minister informed Mr. Kerry about the initiatives undertaken by our country for the “green” transition and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the shipping sector, in view of their participation in the upcoming COP27 Summit in Egypt in November .
Special position
The US President’s Special Envoy for Climate pointed out “the special position that Greece has at the moment, in relation to the rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Cairo, in relation to the Summit that will take place, the Greece is the center of developments. You are at a defining point for the transmission of electricity, but also the (energy) transformation that should be accelerated. We look forward to our collaboration and look forward to coming back together in new ways of working together.”
During the meeting, the priority given by the two countries to the promotion of ambitious but at the same time feasible solutions for the energy transition of shipping was also emphasized.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the US initiatives to reduce the energy footprint of shipping and expressed the wish to contribute substantially to the speed of adoption of global measures, under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Pivotal role
He also emphasized the pivotal role of the Greek-owned ocean shipping industry – the largest in the world – for the success of any goal of developing sustainable solutions in this sector.
This was followed by a meeting of delegations in which, from the Greek side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias, the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Anna Maria Boura, the Head of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister Alexis Patelis Nikos for the Prime Minister Ambassador participated. .
On behalf of the US government, the US Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis, the Communications Director of the Office of John Kerry Whitney Smith, the Climate Change Advisor at the US Department of State Rohemir D. Ramirez Ballagas and the US Embassy official participated. in Greece Andrea Aquilla.