Shortly before the end of the UN climate conference, the local economy spoke out with an open letter on Friday. In it, 126 Austrian companies call for “reliable political preconditions” when it comes to climate protection.
The letter was written by Spar and Wien Energie, among others, with the help of the environmental organizations WWF and Global 2000. The content consists of five points that must be included in a future government program, including, for example, a safe climate budget. Further demands include a “climate-friendly reform of the tax system,” an “energy savings program” and the “nature-friendly” expansion of renewable energy sources.
The EU sustainability guidelines must be implemented more quickly at national level. To recruit climate specialists, the companies propose a “sufficiently subsidized climate labor market fund” to the Public Employment Service (AMS). Furthermore, climate neutrality must be enshrined in law by 2040 and a “binding pathway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” must be included in the next government programme.
Gewessler: “There should be no regression”
Negotiations at the UN World Climate Conference were officially extended in Baku on Friday (see video above). “We’re not done yet. And I say that because, especially this year, it is extremely important that this presidency stays on track in stormy times,” said Austrian Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens).
Progress has been made on the new and revised draft decisions of the Presidency of Azerbaijan. The road to the goal is difficult, because there are still many open positions in the templates. The major sticking point for negotiators from the nearly 200 contracting states is the proposal to increase annual payments for climate protection and adaptation to climate impacts to $250 billion (equivalent to 240 billion euros) between 2026 and 2035. That is well below 1. $3 trillion a year that poorer countries want.
“That is an ambitious amount, but probably also feasible,” Gewessler said confidently on Friday. When it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we must “stay the course.” “We shouldn’t take a step back now.” The phasing out of fossil fuels was established for the first time at the climate conference in Dubai last year.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
