Alexander Van der Bellen had mixed feelings about the COP27 world climate conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheik, because optimism, given the insufficiently or insufficiently implemented results of previous climate summits, is “not easy – but necessary”. the Federal President on Monday.
On his first trip abroad after his re-election – “if there had been a second election, I wouldn’t be here today” – the Federal President will speak at a meeting of heads of state and government about overcoming the climate crisis and on the sidelines of the summit also hold several bilateral talks – especially with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Van der Bellen pays tribute to UN chief Guterres
It is also Guterres whom Van der Bellen has great respect for for his commitment to combating climate change: “It is a historic windfall that Guterres, who is not from a Green Party, has been reappointed as UN Secretary-General.” The Portuguese Social Democrat is “the meanwhile fiercest, most committed fighter against the climate emergency one could wish for”. The Federal President met with Guterres on Monday afternoon.
Goal of the Paris climate agreement far away
As for the UN Secretary-General, it is also clear to Van der Bellen that the goal of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century if possible, “with the current measures cannot be achieved, but there is a greater chance that we will reach 2.5 to 4 degrees.”
VdB: “Tell them it doesn’t matter”
Although Van der Bellen realizes how difficult it is to convey this topic in view of a just experienced October, which was generally experienced as a pleasant extension of late summer – with temperatures around ten degrees above the long-term October average. “What if the same thing happens in March, April, in July, without rain? What happens to agriculture, to nature in general?” It’s about conveying “that it doesn’t matter, but that every tenth degree plays a big part, not just somewhere in Africa, but especially here in the Alps, where warming is going about twice as fast as the rest of the world. ”
Meeting with a delegation of Austrian youth
In this regard, the Federal President will also meet a delegation of Austrian young people in Sharm El-Sheikh: “The young people have made an important contribution to increasing sensitivity and attention to the subject, starting with Greta Thunberg – but not only.”
Hard fights are to be expected
His personal expectations of the summit are pragmatic: “In any case, efforts are being made to make progress in terms of funding and accountability for what has already happened and – even if the one and a half degree target is met – to make progress. Here Van der Bellen expects “hard arguments, ultimately about money matters, but also about morality and responsibility. The industrialized countries are reluctant to take on this responsibility and the global South – and rightly so – never gets tired of pointing it out. Although not everything that happens in the South is due to the behavior of the industrialized countries.”
Macron called on US and China to support poor countries
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States and China to better support poorer countries suffering from climate change on the sidelines of COP27. “European countries are already paying (…) but we are the only ones paying,” he said. It is important to “put more pressure on non-European rich countries,” he added. “The US and China in particular need to move,” Macron said after meeting young African and French climate activists.
Source: Krone
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
