Problems from changing of the climate and deepening cooperation to overcome the climate crisis and achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 were the focus of the Prime Minister’s meeting. Kyriakou Mitsotakis with the US President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, John Kerrywho visits Greece. The meeting took place at Megaros Maximos.

“We are very happy to welcome you to Greece. I really enjoyed our last meeting in Riyadh. It is a great honor that we can discuss with you the global issues that we face in connection with energy, biodiversity, climate change,” the Prime Minister said at the beginning of the meeting.

“You know how committed Greece is to this agenda and how much progress we have made on many fronts over the past three years. I would especially like to note the rapid penetration of renewable energy sources into our energy mix. We plan to add 2 gigawatts of renewable energy in 2022 alone. And this makes us one of the leaders in Europe in this direction,” he added.

In particular, the discussion concerned the preparations for the organization of the International Conference “Our Ocean” 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 pleased 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 am sure that this will be a very successful conference. It will also give us an opportunity to highlight the importance we place on protecting the very vulnerable marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. I am very interested in this particular issue,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“You are at a turning point for power transmission”

Speaking about the importance of the conference, John Kerry, for his part, said: “We are very pleased with the fact that in Greece in 2024 there will be an “Our Ocean Conference”. Many do not realize the connection between the oceans and the climate crisis. It is impossible to solve the problem of the climate crisis without taking into account what is happening in the oceans. Vice versa. “You can’t solve the problems of the oceans without paying due attention to the climate crisis, because the level of acidity of the oceans is changing dramatically.”

“Because 90% of warming occurs in the ocean, this has a huge impact on things like flooding, storm intensity and weather patterns. We are in this together. The fact that Greece, with its amazing shipping and maritime history, will take over after Panama is a perfectly logical choice. So it will be a big step,” he added.

This landmark conference was established in 2014, when Mr. Kerry served as US Secretary of State, and has already mobilized over 1,800 commitments worth more than $108 billion, including in the areas of climate change, sustainable fisheries, the blue economy, marine environment. areas, maritime safety and pollution.

According to the Prime Minister’s press office, Mr. Mitsotakis briefed Mr. Kerry on the initiatives taken by our country for the green transition and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the shipping sector, in view of their participation in the upcoming COP27 summit in Egypt in november.

The US President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change pointed to the “special position that Greece currently occupies in relation to the rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Cairo, in relation to the upcoming summit, Greece is the center of development. You are at a defining point for the transmission of electricity, but also for the transformation (of energy) that must be accelerated. We look forward to our collaboration and look forward to discovering new ways to work together.”

During the meeting, it was also emphasized that the two countries give priority to the promotion of ambitious, but at the same time feasible solutions for the energy transition of shipping.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the US initiatives to reduce the energy footprint of shipping and expressed hope that they will make a significant contribution to the rapid adoption of global action under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). He also stressed the key role of the Greek-owned maritime shipping industry – the largest in the world – to the success of any goal of developing sustainable solutions in the sector.

This was followed by a meeting of delegations, in which the Greek side was attended by:

• Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias,
• Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister, Ambassador Anna Maria Bura,
• Head of the Prime Minister’s Economic Department Alexis Patelis,
• Adviser to the Prime Minister on Energy Nikos Tzafos.

On behalf of the US government were:

• US Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis
• John Kerry Communications Director Whitney Smith;
• US State Department Climate Change Advisor Rochemire D. Ramirez Bayagas;
• This was announced by the representative of the US Embassy in Greece, Andrea Akigia.