Participants in the UN climate conference in Glasgow have decided to adjust national climate targets by the end of next 2022 and limit global warming to 1.5 ° C, writes Deutsche Welle.
The final agreement says the national climate targets will be adjusted three years earlier than previously planned. However, the document contains more lenient language than anticipated. For example, the compromise reached on the abandonment of coal. If earlier it was planned that the agreement would include a clause on the complete abandonment of this type of fuel, then the final document refers to the “gradual reduction” of the use of coal-fired power plants. The reason for this was the protest of China and India, which opposed the original wording.
Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety, commented with satisfaction that while she “would like a more unambiguous wording on coal”, it nevertheless means that “now there will be a worldwide phase-out of coal. “.
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Great Britain, considers the UN climate conference a success:
“This agreement is a big step forward. We got the first international agreement in the world that says about the need to reduce the use of coal. We also have a roadmap to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, notes that COP26 has shown that the era of fossil fuel subsidies is ending:
“COP26 sends a clear signal that the era of subsidizing fossil fuels and non-carbonated coal has come to an end.”
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, believes that the final document can be called a compromise, and the agreement on climate is insufficient:
“The battle for climate is a battle for our lives, and this battle must be won.”
But Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany, does not hide his disappointment with the results of the conference. He believes that she has failed to find answers to the question of how to protect poor countries from the effects of climate change:
“From the point of view of developing countries, the results are absolutely insufficient, too small and too slow. We need to increase the pace. Many developing countries have no more time to waste, for them climate change has long been a bitter reality.”
As usual, the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also said her word, calling the negotiations and decisions a simple shake of air:
“The real work continues outside of these rooms. And we will never give up, never.”
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