Berlin Dark words at the world climate conference in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, warned of the catastrophic consequences of global warming. “We are on the highway to climate hell – with our foot on the accelerator,” Guterres said in a speech to more than 100 heads of state and government in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday. “We are fighting the fight of our lives – and we are about to lose,” he said, referring to droughts, floods, severe weather and rising sea levels.
The past eight years have been the warmest since systematic weather records began. At the same time, the world community is doing too little to combat global warming. The situation is exacerbated by massive geopolitical tensions caused by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
For two weeks, the representatives of almost 200 countries in Egypt will be discussing how global warming can be contained to a level that is still tolerable. The world has already warmed up by a good 1.1 degrees compared to the time before the industrial revolution in the 19th century – Germany even more so.
1.5 degree target at risk
Guterres said the target agreed at the 2015 World Climate Conference in Paris to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is in acute jeopardy. The Portuguese called for a “climate solidarity pact” between wealthy countries and emerging and developing countries.
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The United States and China are particularly responsible for this. In terms of quantity, both countries emit the most climate-damaging greenhouse gases – above all carbon dioxide and methane. Literally, he said, “Humanity has a choice: work together or perish!”
The world is currently heading for a temperature increase of 2.4 to 2.6 degrees. This was shown in the “Emissions Gap Report” published by the United Nations Environment Organization (UNEP) last week.
COP27 in Egypt: Difficult negotiations over damage and casualties
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also traveled to the climate conference on Monday. His performance is scheduled for the evening. The chancellor wants to speak out in favor of more efforts to protect the climate, as can be seen from the previously published speech manuscript. His message is that more speed, ambition and cooperation are needed when switching to renewable energies.
Humanity has a choice: work together or perish! UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Scholz apparently wants to double the German funds for the global protection of forests from one to two billion euros at the conference. In addition, Germany will provide 170 million euros for a global protective shield to cushion the damage caused by climate catastrophes such as droughts, hurricanes or floods.
Guterres supported the demands of poor countries for compensation payments from industrialized countries for the climate damage they had already suffered – “loss and damage” for short. This topic cannot be swept under the carpet any longer.
>> Read here: Is it still worth fighting climate change?
The developing countries have had a small success here. For the first time, the issue was listed as an official agenda item related to funding issues. However, it is unclear whether this ultimately means concrete financial aid from industrialized countries to compensate for damage and losses caused by climate change.
The two-week world climate conference in Egypt began on Sunday.
(Photo: Reuters)
Former US Vice President Al Gore warned that the war against Ukraine should not be an excuse for sticking to climate-damaging fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. The Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke of a “culture of death”. However, efforts to reduce greenhouse gases are insufficient. “We have a credibility problem – all of us here.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said climate commitments should not fall victim to the energy crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Energy sobriety” is needed to move away from fossil fuels.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who works closely with Russia on issues such as the military and energy, called for an end to the “war between Russia and Ukraine.” The war must stop, said al-Sisi – without blaming Russia directly for the attack.
Around 45,000 participants are registered for the climate conference in Egypt, most of them as delegates from states.
More: More than 6.6 billion euros a year: Extreme weather is so expensive for Germany