'The United States is absolutely committed to doing our part,' Kerry said. Kerry: U.S. serious on climate

U.S. officials tried on Monday to assure wary international negotiators who are struggling to lay the groundwork for a global climate change accord that the United States is serious about slashing its greenhouse gas emissions.

In a video message to a panel discussion on President Barack Obama’s climate change agenda at international talks in Warsaw, Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that the U.S. is already cutting its emissions and that it would continue its “leadership” in the negotiations.


“The United States is absolutely committed to doing our part,” Kerry said, adding later, “I pledge to you, the United States is going to continue to offer leadership, and we will stand right there with you.”

Kerry, who was not at the meeting, said the U.S. is making “good progress” toward its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. And he reminded those watching that he has been a longtime champion of climate action, noting that he attended early international climate talks in the 1990s.

U.N. climate talks in Warsaw are entering a tense final week after the diplomatic effort to reduce global warming gases was hit by a series of setbacks, including a decision by Japan to ditch its voluntary emissions targets.

The two-decade-old negotiations have so far failed to achieve their goal of slashing emissions of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases that scientists say are warming the planet, and negotiators don’t seem to be getting any closer after a tumultuous first week at this year’s session in Warsaw.

Despite a tearful call for action from a delegate from the typhoon-ravaged Philippines, no major carbon polluter raised their pledges to cut emissions.

Instead, Australia’s conservative government fulfilled a campaign promise and introduced a bill to scrap the country’s carbon tax, while Japan drastically scaled back its emissions target.

The moves drew criticism from developing countries who say the world’s rich countries have a historical responsibility for climate change and should take the lead in fighting it.

In his brief remarks Monday, Kerry stressed that the United States can’t do it alone.

“We are going to need leadership and aggressive steps from everyone,” he said.

Kerry’s comments come amid lingering distrust and frustration toward the United States, which angered climate activists by declining to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. And there is continuing tension between the U.S. and developing countries like China and India over how to divide responsibility for reining in emissions.

But at Monday’s panel discussion with top officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. sounded a positive note about the Obama administration’s climate agenda.

“The message is that — really, I think the president understood the urgency of acting on this issue,” said Nancy Sutley, the CEQ chairwoman.

Bob Perciasepe, EPA’s deputy administrator, said the agency is “pretty much on track” to move forward with its regulations for new and existing power plants, the centerpiece of Obama’s climate agenda.

“We’re very confident, and we’re very busy,” he said.

But the officials were short on details when asked by a reporter what future action the administration will take beyond that outlined in the climate change plan the president unveiled in June.

Sutley said the administration will “continue to move forward” and that Obama remains willing to work with Congress on the issue, despite resistance from many Republicans to most measures to significantly reduce emissions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.