I believe the quoted individual is saying that the more we know about Venus's runaway greenhouse effect, the more we will know about the effects of terrestrial climate change. By climate change, I submit that he means global warming.
The cause of global warming on venus is disputed but one major cause could be a giant asteroid/meteor hitting the planet. Basically think of it as a doomsday scenario on earth but it happened to Venus millions and millions of years ago. The basis behind that is venus is the only planet that rotates counter-clockwise, and it does so very very slowly. A very large asteroid hitting the planet opposite the motion of rotation could have caused the momentum to swing the other way. Burning coal and gasoline will never create an environment like the one on venus, but it does make for interesting research
You are probably right. The statement is a bit ambiguous to whether it is specific to 'global warming' or is a more general statement. I simply assumed one interpretation and you another. However on rereading the statement, it appears you are more likely to be correct.