Agreement in Glasgow – global coal phase-out initiated – foreign policy

by time news

On Saturday evening around 200 countries initiated the worldwide end of coal. It is the first time that a climate conference has made specific decisions on how to deal with fossil fuels.

“We are currently experiencing a historic moment: the coal phase-out has been initiated worldwide,” said Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (53, SPD). “The fossil age is coming to an end, that has been initiated here.”

It is no longer just a question of states setting goals at the climate conference, but above all of how these goals are achieved. “The 20s are the decade in which the world community can and must make decisive progress.”

The agreement was preceded by a crazy negotiation marathon. Actually, the result should have been available on Friday evening – 24 hours earlier than it was actually decided. In the meantime, EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans implored the delegates: “For God’s sake: don’t destroy this moment!”

The problem: While Western representatives from the USA and the EU would have preferred to directly announce the global coal phase-out, China and India stepped on the brakes on the climate. At the last minute, China, India, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba changed the decisive word in the agreement with an initiative: Coal will no longer be “phased out”, but it will be “shut down”.

Further results of the conference: Climate aid for poor countries will be doubled, inefficient subsidies for oil, gas and coal will be abolished and the self-imposed goal of Paris will be maintained: The earth should warm to less than 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. To this end, the countries should tighten their national climate targets by the next climate conference (2022). An ambitious goal, because the world is already 1.2 degrees warmer than it was in 1850.

Reactions to the Glasgow results

Climate activist Luisa Neubauer doesn’t go far enough: “This climate conference did not manage to introduce the structural changes that we urgently need. The heads of state and government did not deliver, but the climate movement is growing and more and more people are taking part. ”

Your demand: The new federal government must now end the “climate betrayal of the youth and future generations”. “If Germany does not deliver, who else can we expect it from?”

And Christoph Bals, political director of the Germanwatch organization, analyzes: “The COP in Glasgow sends out clear signals for the German coalition negotiations: coal phase-out by 2030 at the latest, phase-out from international oil and gas production, international climate finance must be increased significantly by 2025 . “

► Federal Environment Ministry Svenja Schulze praised the results of the world climate summit. “Glasgow brings a significant acceleration for climate protection, and more speed is also required,” said the SPD politician on Saturday evening. “The 20s are the decade in which the world community can and must make decisive progress. This conference showed that the world is pursuing a common goal, a climate-neutral global economy. ”

And what is probably the best-known climate activist Greta Thunberg? At the end of the summit in Glasgow she had clear words: “Here is a short summary: Blah, blah, blah. But the real work continues outside of these halls. And we will never give up, never, ”wrote the 18-year-old Swede on Twitter.

► Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller is also disappointed with the outcome of the climate conference in Glasgow. “From the point of view of developing countries, the results are absolutely inadequate, too fragmented and too slow,” said the CSU politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group.

“We need more speed. Many developing countries have no more time to lose, for them climate change has long been a bitter reality. ”Glasgow had not given a satisfactory answer to protect poorer countries from the effects of the climate.

► The resolutions of the UN climate conference in Glasgow keep the implementation of the Paris climate goals within reach from the point of view of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The result of the World Climate Conference “keeps the Paris goals alive,” said von der Leyen on Sunday night. “That makes us confident that we can offer humanity a safe and prosperous place on this planet.”

The negotiators in Glasgow have made important progress, the Commission chief explained. “But we still have hard work ahead of us.”

Annalena Baerbock, chairwoman of the Greens, expressed herself cautiously: “The international community has recognized the threat of the climate crisis, but has not banned it for a long time. After the COP26, a new dynamic of making is needed, ”she tweeted on Sunday night.

Germany should now form a global alliance for climate-neutral business with Europe and other industrialized countries. “It is up to us to ensure global justice and to secure a future worth living,” said the Green politician.

In an interview with ZDF on Saturday evening, Baerbock also confirmed that the Greens in the new government will ensure that Germany will phase out coal much earlier.

► “There is still a lot to be done in the coming years,” said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Glasgow agreement was “a big step forward”. Eventually they included a first international agreement to reduce the use of coal and a more detailed plan to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

“We asked the nations at COP26 to stand up for our planet and they accepted the call,” continued Johnson. He hoped that the UK hosted conference “will be seen in the future as the beginning of the end of climate change”.

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