“The geopolitical tensions are a heavy burden”

Berlin He is represented at almost every climate conference: Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Development Organization (UNDP) and the highest-ranking German at the United Nations. The German-Brazilian has been one of the tireless admonishers for more climate protection for years.

The UN diplomat defends short-term investments in fossil fuels. “I think everyone recognizes that we live in extraordinary times,” says Steiner in an interview with the Handelsblatt. “At the moment it is understandable that coal is making a short-term contribution to securing the energy supply, also in Germany.” It is about temporary emergency measures “that will get us and our economy through the winter”.

Steiner does not see a renaissance of coal. Globally, more than 81 percent of the new electricity connected to the grid in 2021 came from renewable sources. Energy production from sun and wind is increasingly cheaper than other types of energy production, Steiner said. “All scenarios indicate that, despite these difficult times, we will not give up the path to a CO2-free energy supply in the long term.”

Top jobs of the day

Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.

The diplomat appeals to the consciences of the industrialized countries in particular. They would not have kept their promise to support the developing countries with 100 billion dollars a year so that they can prepare themselves more quickly against climate change. In addition, up-and-coming energy-hungry countries such as South Africa would need more support in strengthening their supply of renewable energies. Financing green infrastructure could prove to be the biggest bottleneck in climate protection over the next few years.

“We still underestimate how catastrophic the effects of climate change can be,” warns Steiner. “A planet that is increasingly warming can wipe out social or economic success in an instant.”

Read the full interview here:

Mr. Steiner, the world climate conference begins under bad omens. Greenhouse gas emissions are too high, the world is not on track to meet the Paris climate targets. what has to happen
Many countries have been in a difficult financial situation since the corona pandemic. The war against Ukraine and the associated energy crisis are further exacerbating the situation and making it more difficult to restructure the global economy with a clean energy infrastructure.

Many countries are back to climate-damaging coal to secure energy supplies. Germany is also bringing back coal-fired power plants from the reserve and is also building liquid gas terminals. Is a renaissance of fossil fuels imminent?
I think everyone realizes that we live in extraordinary times. At the moment it is understandable that coal will make a short-term contribution to securing the energy supply, also in Germany. It’s about temporary emergency measures that will get us and our economy through the winter.

So no need to worry?
Emergency measures are one thing, but talking about a fossil-fuel renaissance is another. Yes, there are setbacks. But just five years ago, the scale of the plans to invest in green infrastructure could not have been imagined. I’m more optimistic than pessimistic: In 2021, more than 81 percent of the electricity newly connected to the grid worldwide came from renewable sources – also for business and economic reasons. Generating energy from the sun and wind is increasingly cheaper than other types of energy generation. All scenarios indicate that, despite these difficult times, we will not give up the path to a CO2-free energy supply in the long term.

And if so?
Then we really have a huge problem in terms of climate change. Clearly, there are still heated debates in Sharm el-Sheikh. The developing countries in particular have their backs to the wall. Many have no funds to invest. They have trouble providing energy to their population. In this mixed situation, it becomes attractive for some countries to focus on fossil fuels in the short term. This poses a major threat to climate protection. Therefore, at the conference in Egypt, common interest and action must be in the foreground.

>> Read here: Expert advice: Achievement of German climate goals for 2030 doubtful

And what should that look like?
The industrialized countries have a responsibility here. They have not kept their promise to support developing countries with 100 billion dollars a year so that they can prepare themselves more quickly against climate change. This created a lot of mistrust and frustration. It’s about co-financing, because developing countries are already investing many times over from their own budgets. With the attitude that everyone is their own neighbour, we will not make any progress in protecting the climate.

What do you expect from the industrialized countries?
First, that they fulfill their commitments and help developing countries more financially. Second, up-and-coming, energy-hungry countries such as South Africa need more support in strengthening their supply of renewable energies.

However, the EU, Great Britain and the USA are already supporting the country in decarbonising its economy. The industrialized countries are promoting the closure of coal-fired power plants there with around 8.5 billion US dollars…
Yes, but in certain regions the power supply is sometimes stopped because there is not yet enough capacity in the country. Financing green infrastructure is likely to be the biggest bottleneck over the next few years – including countries like Kenya, Uruguay, Morocco, which were on track to cover most of their electricity supply with clean energy but are now empty-handed. More than 50 countries worldwide are currently at the point of becoming insolvent due to the debt crisis.

>> Read here: Turbo needed for renewables and energy efficiency – more heat deaths in Germany too

What do you demand from the world community?
The world community has an interest in aggressively tackling the debt problem for many reasons. For example, it would be possible for part of the debt to be forgiven in order to convert it into climate investments.

This will be expensive for the industrialized countries, which have another obligation: to provide financial support to countries in dealing with climate damage that can no longer be avoided.
We experience the effects of climate change almost weekly. And yet many of us still underestimate how catastrophic they can be. We only have to think of the floods in the Ahr Valley last year, which killed more than 100 people and caused billions in damage. However, many developing countries are much more severely affected. They can no longer invest in their development. You can only do damage limitation through adaptation measures, which also costs tens of billions. These discussions will cause a great deal of controversy in Sharm el-Sheikh, but they must finally be addressed.

Do you expect results?
I expect that this complex problem will be discussed seriously and factually. However, the negotiations on this will take time.

Should Europe follow the example of the USA and the Inflation Reduction Act there, which will loosen billions in subsidies for climate protection?
First of all, I think Europe can be proud of the decisions it has made in recent years, especially last year. Reducing its own emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels is a significant step forward – and more than the US has announced so far.

lignite power plant

Industry would have to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve the climate targets by 2030.

(Photo: IMAGO/Jochen Eckel)

Which countries do you worry about the most? And what to expect from Russia?
The geopolitical tensions are a heavy burden for the negotiations. However, Sharm el-Sheikh is not about negotiations between individual states. The climate conference is a conference of a total of 193 countries, all of which basically have the goal of slowing down global warming. In this respect, the war must not affect the negotiations in such a way that no common path can be found.

What role does the private sector play? Could he replace missing state money?
Ultimately, the bulk of the transformation will actually be financed by the private sector, i.e. companies and banks. Many are already very active. Others now have to decide whether to focus on decarbonization or skim off what can be skimmed off for another ten years.

>> Read here: “In the US there is money to invest – in Europe there are laws and regulations”

Is that a call to the private sector to invest more in the transformation?
There have been many such calls. Rather, I am reminding the financial community to remember that directing financial flows to just a few countries is not enough. A large part of the world’s population does not live in the most attractive and largest developing countries in the world, but spread across Africa, Asia and Latin America. There, too, we must help to transform the economy.

Increasing global warming is endangering our prosperity. Could we prevent this if we took the issue of climate protection more seriously?
The climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions are the by-product of 250 years of industrialization, which in many ways is an enormous success and has brought us prosperity. We now know about the damage caused by emissions around the world. One thing is clear: a planet that is increasingly warming up can wipe out social or economic success in no time at all. In this respect, we are well advised to take the climate crisis very seriously.

Mr. Steiner, thank you very much for the interview.

More: The USA is making the “biggest investment of all time” for the climate – and triggering fears in Europe

source site-13