Status: 11/07/2022 7:48 p.m
In Sharm El-Sheikh, Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of a “renaissance” in oil, gas and coal. At the same time, he promised more money for the protection of the rainforests. It needs more speed and more ambition in the fight against global warming.
Germany wants to double the support it has promised for the global protection of the rainforests – from one to two billion euros. According to the speech transcript, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this at the climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh. The money is to be invested primarily in protecting the rainforests in the Central African Congo Basin and in the Amazon region.
In addition, Germany will provide start-up financing of 170 million euros for the planned global protective shield for climate risks. The pot is to be officially founded in the second week of the climate conference – it is intended to support countries particularly hard hit by the climate crisis. The office of the protective shield is to be set up in Frankfurt am Main. Both are to be financed from Germany’s regular funds for the fight against climate change, which are to be increased from 5.3 to six billion euros by 2025.
Scholz: No return to fossil energies
According to the manuscript, Scholz also warned in his speech against a “renaissance of fossil energies” such as oil, gas and coal. “For Germany, I say: there will be no such thing.” It remains the case that Germany should become climate-neutral by 2045. “Not less, but more speed, more ambition, more cooperation when switching to renewable energies is the order of the day,” he emphasized. “Our resolute commitment to climate protection must be followed by equally resolute action.”
Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy price crisis, Germany decided to leave coal-fired power plants on the grid longer and to promote the development of new gas fields in North Africa. Scholz nevertheless emphasized that Germany would phase out fossil fuels “without ifs or buts”. The switch to renewable energies is “not just a requirement of forward-looking climate, economic and environmental policy, but also a security policy imperative,” emphasized the Chancellor. “For us it is clearer than ever: the future belongs to wind power, solar energy and green hydrogen.”
As a goal for the conference, he stated that the states would have to agree on a “robust work program for emission reduction”. It must contain concrete steps to catch up on the previous backlog.
Macron: Climate protection must not suffer from the war in Ukraine
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron had spoken at COP27 before Scholz.
Macron stressed that Russia’s war in Ukraine will not lead to less climate protection efforts. “We will not sacrifice our climate commitments to Russia’s energy threat,” he said. The world has now entered an era of “climate emergency” but can still limit global warming if emissions are halved by 2030. Macron also promised a protection program for “crucial ecosystems” such as jungles and mangroves.
“We are on a highway to climate hell”
Guterres warned in drastic terms of the consequences of global warming. With a view to the droughts, floods, storms and rising sea levels triggered by the climate crisis, he said: “We are fighting the fight of our lives – and we are about to lose”.
Mankind has a choice: cooperate or perish. Despite decades of climate talks, too little progress has been made to save the planet from excessive warming. Countries acted too slowly or only reluctantly.
“Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Global temperatures continue to rise. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible,” Guterres said. “We’re on a highway to climate hell and we’ve got our foot on the accelerator.”
Cancellation by Xi Jinping
He also called for rich countries to help poorer ones in their climate change mitigation efforts. The two largest greenhouse gas producers have a special responsibility: “The two largest economies – the USA and China – have a special responsibility to work together to ensure that this pact becomes a reality.”
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping, among others, canceled his participation in COP27 – which casts doubt on how successful the climate conference can be.