ATHENS, Greece – Former United States special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry on Monday, April 15, urged youth delegates here at the ninth Our Ocean Conference to take action for the future of the world’s oceans and climate.

“I ask you to preach to everybody you can the reality that this is not out of reach – yet. But if we don’t move it out for the next four to five years, it’s going to be out of reach. And who knows what the damage will be,” Kerry said.

Kerry, who left his post early this year after leading the Biden administration’s climate negotiations for three years, said it still frustrated him that “some of the key players who should fundamentally understand science and the basics of this challenge, I don’t see them doing what we need to do to win.”

“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist, or a genius, or hire some incredible consulting firm to come in and tell you what the problem is. The problem is us. People, human beings, who allegedly are blessed to be rational, but who clearly are more interested, in many cases, in protecting their particular interests,” Kerry said.

He also noted how “everything is linked,” including the climate crisis and the ocean’s challenges.

“The oceans aren’t something separate from the climate. You can’t solve the problem of the oceans without solving the climate crisis. And you can’t solve the climate crisis without also addressing the challenges of the ocean. Ninety percent of the heat of the planet goes into the ocean. And the oceans warming now is what is creating the intensity of these storms and these massive floods and amounts of rainfall,” he added.

Watch his full speech here. – Rappler.com