Like the rest of the leaders who attended the first days of the Climate Summit (COP28), held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, President Gustavo Petro had only three minutes to speak. At the most important meeting on climate change worldwide, which brings together more than 97,000 participants, he chose to give a speech that mixed the inequalities of climate change, the “genocide in Gaza” and even Hitler.
“CO2 emissions can also be measured in terms of social inequality. It is the rich who emit the most and consume the most carbon, it is the poor who do the least. This social inequality is the reason why the objectives of the Paris COP have failed,” were the first words he spoke. He did so in reference to the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, in which it was established that countries must prevent the global average temperature from increasing by more than 2°C compared to pre-industrial times and “make every effort to limit even plus the temperature increase of 1.5 °C.”
Petro’s speech began with an essentially climatic thread. But as he talked about the inequalities of wealth and emissions between countries, his words became more challenging. “The American dream, European comfort, the catch-up syndrome of China and India, are based on full carbon consumption,” he said. “It is consumption based on the death of others.”
Then he proposed an exercise. “Let’s imagine a fusion, a combination of facts: the projection of the climate crisis in five or ten years and the current genocide of the Palestinian people. Are these events disconnected or can we see a mirror of the immediate future there? “The genocide and barbarism unleashed on the Palestinian people is what awaits the exodus of the southern peoples unleashed by the climate crisis,” he continued. “But this immense exodus will have answers in the north (…) Hitler is knocking on the doors of the homes of the European and North American middle class and many have already let him in,” he noted.
“The exodus will be responded to with great violence. With barbarism itself. What we see in Gaza is the rehearsal of the future. Why have large carbon-consuming countries allowed the systematic murders of thousands of children in Gaza? Because Hitler has already entered their homes and they are getting ready to defend their high levels of carbon consumption and reject the exodus it causes.”
Only at the end of his speech did the president talk about the country’s proposals against climate change. He called for making the COP plans binding, achieving planning for the transition to a decarbonized economy and, once again, mentioned the exchange of public debt for the issuance of special drawing rights. “We have also proposed strengthening and reforming the United Nations, stopped signing coal, oil and gas exploration contracts, and dismantled the gasoline subsidy,” he said. “We advocate for a global ban on fracking.”
By the time Petro had finished his words, more than nine minutes had already passed on the COP28 clock.
#Petro #COP28 #large #carbonconsuming #countries #allowed #systematic #murders #thousands #children #Gaza #Hitler #entered #homes