COP28: King Charles urges action against climate change
King Charles III has urged the participants of the World Climate Conference to take swift action against climate change. The world's hopes rest on the heads of state and government, said the British monarch in Dubai. He hoped that COP28 would be a "critical turning point towards real transformational action". "The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth," said Charles.
The monarch warned against indifference. "Records are now being broken so often that we may be becoming immune to what they are actually telling us," Charles said, referring to data from researchers on ever warmer temperatures. "We are conducting a huge, frightening experiment where we are changing every ecological condition at once, at a rate that far exceeds nature's ability to cope," he said.
King known for his commitment to the environment
Despite some progress, warning signs of climate change are still being ignored, criticized the 75-year-old. "Some important progress has been made, but it worries me greatly that we have lost our way so terribly." The amount of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere has increased enormously. This would have devastating consequences for livelihoods around the world.
The King has been known for decades for his commitment to the environment and nature. He opened the COP21 in Paris in 2015 while still heir to the throne. As King, however, he can no longer express himself as clearly as before, as he is obliged to maintain strict political neutrality. A few weeks ago, Charles therefore had to announce controversial plans by the Conservative British government to massively expand oil and gas production in the North Sea.
Guterres: Only world leaders can cure "disease"
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also emphatically called on heads of state and government to take action against climate change. "Polar ice and glaciers are disappearing before our eyes, causing chaos around the world: from landslides and floods to rising sea levels," said Guterres in Dubai. "But this is just one symptom of the disease that is bringing our climate to its knees. A disease that only you, the leaders of the world, can cure."
He had recently been on the melting ice of Antarctica and not long before that on the melting glaciers of Nepal. "These two places are far apart, but connected in crisis." Guterres emphasized: "The Earth's vital signs are failing." But it is not too late to take action, he said. Economies and companies around the world must switch to renewable energies. COP28 must be a "game changer", the UN Secretary-General demanded.
"Global warming is blowing up budgets, driving up food prices, turning energy markets upside down and fueling a crisis in the cost of living," he said. But climate protection could still flip the switch.
Source: www.dpa.com
