Updated:
Many politicians want to speak at the World Climate Conference. It remains to be seen whether they actually have something important to say. The list of demands on politics is long, however.
Glasgow / Berlin / Rome – Before the World Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, politicians, associations and the Pope called on the participants to take decisive action against global warming on Friday.
Germany’s incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak twice at the start of the conference on Monday. As the deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz announced on Friday, Merkel will first speak for Germany in the plenary session of heads of state and government at noon and then appear at the event “Action and Solidarity – the Critical Decade”.
In addition to Merkel, dozens of other heads of state and government will also speak on Monday. In addition to the presidents of the USA and France, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, the presidents of Turkey, Spain, Egypt and Indonesia as well as the heads of the EU, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, were announced for the three-minute contributions. There are also the heads of government of Canada, Italy, Australia, India and Pakistan.
In Paris, six years ago, the international community agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees as possible in order to avert the impending climate catastrophe. In Glasgow, the task now is to keep this goal within the physically possible and to strive for concrete implementation. So far, the plans issued by the states are nowhere near enough.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the relevance of common trade against climate change. According to the Kremlin, Putin said on Friday at a meeting with Finland’s head of state Sauli Niinistö in Moscow that the climate goals are largely dependent on it.
Pope Francis, who like Putin does not travel to Scotland, demanded effective responses to the environmental crisis from the decision-makers. Climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have revealed a deep vulnerability and numerous doubts about the economic systems and society, said the head of the Catholic Church on the BBC radio station. “Every crisis requires a vision, planning ability and speed in implementation.” In the crisis lies the opportunity for change, but also the challenge of not making simple, radical decisions.
“The states around the world, but especially the states of the G20 and the G7, urgently need to step up their climate protection ambitions,” wrote the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing. Global warming must be limited to 1.5 degrees. “As an industrialized country and due to its historical emissions, Germany in particular has a special responsibility and obligation for the global climate, but also for the financial support of poorer countries,” warned Bätzing.
The climate activist Greta Thunberg criticized the unequal representation of rich and poor countries at the climate conference. “It is not fair if, for example, one country sends delegates and another is very underrepresented,” said the 18-year-old in a previously published excerpt from a BBC interview. “This creates an imbalance.” The negotiations are doomed to failure as long as the historical responsibility of the richer countries for the climate crisis is ignored and the most affected countries are less heard.
The environmental protection organization Greenpeace called for an agreement of the world community on an end to all new fossil fuel projects. “Paris was the engagement party, but now we are at the wedding and are eagerly waiting to see if the major players are ready to say” Yes, I do “,” said Greenpeace boss Jennifer Morgan.
Greenpeace also demands a guarantee from rich countries to provide at least 100 billion US dollars per year for less developed countries in order to create the energy transition and adaptation. A few days ago it became known that this target, confirmed in the Paris Climate Agreement, will not be achieved until 2023, three years later than originally planned.
Greenpeace and others are also calling for additional funds to be made available for countries that have been particularly hard hit by the climate crisis. The Climate Action Network of global climate protection organizations called in an open letter this week to agree on rules in Glasgow in order to determine and secure the necessary sums. For 2030, the network expects damage of up to 580 billion US dollars (around 496 billion euros) in developing countries alone.
Unicef calls for special attention to be paid to children and young people when making the necessary investments. “The agreements at the climate conference decide the life and future of millions of children and future generations,” said Christian Schneider, Managing Director of Unicef Germany. According to the UN Children’s Fund, one billion children are already at extremely high risk due to the effects of climate change.
The German representatives also see responsibility for the nature conservation organizations WWF and Nabu. “An ambitious immediate climate protection program by the coming traffic light coalition would be an important signal to the international community,” said Nabu President Jörg-Andreas Krüger. dpa
#High #hopes #demands #climate #summit