JAKARTA, Indonesia – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Indonesia to discuss climate change and press authorities in Jakarta and throughout Asia to step up efforts to combat it. He will make the case climate change is real and is “pushing the planet toward a tipping point of no return, threatening not just the environment but the global economy and our way of life,” a senior State Department official said.

China and the United States are the biggest sources of emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause the atmosphere to trap solar heat and alter the climate. Scientists warn such changes are already leading to drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, melting polar ice, animal extinctions and other extreme conditions.

It cited the “overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change and its worsening impacts, and the related issue of air pollution from burning fossil fuels,” and said the two countries recognize the urgent need for action.