Outgoing Biden climate envoy John Kerry says a Trump reelection won't stop renewable energy

Outgoing Biden administration climate envoy John Kerry doesn’t think a Trump presidency will impede the campaign to eliminate fossil fuels.

The remarks were made during a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Agency Tuesday, according to Oilprice.com.

"Even when President Trump was there for those four years, 75% of our new electricity came from renewables because we had portfolio laws in the 37 states that required the deployment of renewables," Kerry said. "So whatever happens, that's not going to change the direction we're moving in."

He also said Trump, likely 2024 GOP presidential nominee, and a domestic, fossil-fuel energy hawk, could reverse efforts to reduce emissions in other ways.

With 500 gigawatts of coal-fired electricity generation coming online in Asia, Kerry said, the emissions reductions in the U.S. and Europe would be undone. Trump could impact diplomatic efforts to slow that buildout.

"We succeeded in our work with China in getting China to agree that they're not going to fund any more foreign coal-fired power being built, which is a step forward, but the enforceability of that has proven to be complicated," Kerry said, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Kerry announced in January that he’d be leaving the position to work on Biden’s reelection campaign. He will be replaced by John Podesta.