Scholz at UN climate conference: triple expansion of renewable energies
Scholz urged haste in making additional efforts to reduce emissions. "It is still possible for us to reduce emissions in this decade to such an extent that we can meet the 1.5 degree target," said the Chancellor. The energy transition must be made "a global success story".
"We must now all show a firm determination to phase out fossil fuels, first and foremost coal," Scholz also made clear. As long as gas is still needed for a transitional period, it must be produced and transported in the "most climate-friendly way possible". However, several German environmental associations accused Scholz of contradictions between talk and action when it came to turning away from fossil fuels.
At the conference on Friday, a majority of more than 110 countries backed Scholz's goals for the expansion of renewables and greater energy efficiency. "I call on everyone to include these goals in the final declaration of the climate conference," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Scholz also reiterated his commitment to international solidarity in climate protection and dealing with the consequences of climate change."Germany has already exceeded its target of providing at least six billion euros per year for international climate financing in 2022," he said in his speech.
The Chancellor welcomed the fact that the climate conference on Thursday made the fund for climate-related damage operational, to which Germany is initially contributing 100 million dollars (around 92 million euros). The fund is intended to support particularly vulnerable countries.
However, Scholz also called for a financial contribution from "countries whose prosperity has grown enormously over the last three decades and which today account for a large proportion of global emissions". At a press conference in Dubai, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze(SPD) specifically mentioned China, but also the rich Gulf states. Only one of them, the host country United Arab Emirates, has so far also committed to a contribution of 100 million dollars to the climate damage fund.
The Prime Minister of the island republic of Fiji, Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, emphasized that global climate damage of up to four trillion dollars is to be expected by 2030. "We have not done enough, we are sinking," he said, expressing frustration at the lack of progress on climate protection. "We want to continue living in our ancestral land," said the Prime Minister of the island state of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, referring to its impending flooding.
US Vice President Kamala Harris announced at the conference that the USA would pay three billion dollars into the Green Climate Fund (GCF), an important instrument for international climate financing. This is the first contribution by the USA since 2014. Harris also called for additional efforts to keep the 1.5 degree limit on global warming "within reach".
In a statement distributed by US climate envoy John Kerry, around 20 countries spoke out in favor of tripling the output of nuclear power plants worldwide by 2050. Otherwise, climate neutrality by 2050 "cannot be achieved", they said. According to the declaration, which is also supported by France and other EU states, international financial institutions should also promote the expansion of nuclear power. Rules that rule this out at the World Bank, for example, are "completely outdated", said the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to the AFP news agency.
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Source: www.stern.de
