Kerry goes to China: What to watch

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Jul 14, 2023 View in browser   By Kelsey Brugger State Dept. Special Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill on July 13. | Francis Chung/POLITICO John Kerry jets off to Beijing this weekend to try to salvage climate cooperation at a time when tensions between the globe’s two top polluters are sky high. The U.S. climate envoy’s trip comes as both countries want a slice of the clean energy pie, writes Sara Schonhardt, and future U.S. climate action hinges on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. One could view the trip as the Biden administration extending an olive branch to the Eastern superpower. After all, there is a history of cooperation between the U.S. and China on climate action. In 2021, the powers inked agreements to cut methane emissions, reverse deforestation and ramp up renewable energy production. But Republicans on Capitol Hill consider China the No. 1 adversary and are scoffing at this latest diplomacy. Their disapproval was on full display this week when lawmakers pressed Kerry on the matter. “The hearing certainly reflected the tone of how the U.S. Congress views China right now, which is not with an agenda of engagement at the core but a much more adversarial framing,” said Joanna Lewis, an expert on U.S.-China climate engagement at Georgetown University. Ahead of the visit, Sara shares with us what she’s watching. Among her questions: Will this trip improve the tone of engagement between the private sector and nongovernmental organizations? Will any agreement emerge with China to treat climate as a stand-alone issue, separate from the countries’ friction on issues like human rights, military rivalry and Taiwan? Will it influence this year’s U.N. climate talks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates? How do politics at home — with Republicans emphasizing labor abuses in the Chinese clean energy industry — play into the visit? And, of course, why now? The trip follows recent visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Both brought up climate while they were in China, and Sara argues that climate could be an area ripe for collaboration between the nations. “If we don’t see progress this year, particularly while we’ve got Kerry and Xie Zhenhua in their jobs, we’re going to miss a pretty significant opportunity,” said Thom Woodroofe, head of the Asia Society’s China Climate Hub. “Both of them have huge domestic leverage in their own systems and a terrific relationship between themselves.”   It's Friday! — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Kelsey Brugger. Arianna will be back soon! Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman talks about how hurricanes are hurting affordable housing in Florida. Power Centers House Climate Solutions Caucus co-Chairs Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) at the Capitol on Thursday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO It's back! The congressional climate caucus relaunches Lawmakers on Friday revived the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, writes Emma Dumain. The group largely dissolved after the 2018 "Blue Wave" midterm elections ousted more than a third of its Republican members, including the original co-founder, former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.). Now, the group's leaders — Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) — are optimistic the evenly split 58-member caucus can come together around climate policy. Plugging the wells Environmental officials are playing a game of catch-up to try to plug the up to 800,000 orphan wells scattered across the country, writes Shelby Webb. Drawing from $4.7 billion in federal grants allocated in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, officials are aiming to clean up groundwater and tackle methane emissions. But the effort has been more difficult and expensive than originally anticipated. When heat waves and blackouts collide The frightening possibility of extreme heat and widespread blackouts, leaving millions without power, has become closer to a reality in Europe this summer, writes Aitor Hernández-Morales. As the heat builds, city dwellers find themselves cranking up the air conditioning, further straining power grids.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     In Other News Increased capacity: This summer, California is getting a boost from battery storage to the tune of 5,600 megawatts. The limits of adaptation: Flooding this week in Vermont demonstrates that extreme weather can happen in any place and with little warning. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell testifies Thursday before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology. | Francis Chung/POLITICO The Biden administration is considering putting the National Security Council in charge of long-term recovery from disasters, a big change that would give the White House more control over rebuilding damaged communities. Just as Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) announced he would pull his state out of the U.S. Climate Alliance over energy policy conflicts, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said her state would join the bipartisan coalition aiming to get to net zero by 2050. Republicans on the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee want to gut energy and environment agencies by billions of dollars. Republicans passed a bill with major budget cuts to impede federal programs and policy riders that would upend environmental regulations. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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