Threatened to fail – only tired eco-plattitudes at the UN climate summit

Date:

The doomed UN climate summit opened Monday with tired eco-plattitudes. Austria is represented by its president.

Immediately after landing at the climate summit in Egypt, Austrian Alexander Van der Bellen met UN boss António Guterres. “He is a strong voice in the fight against global warming – a voice many would need. The Secretary-General has specifically called on us heads of state to participate in the environmental summit,” the man from the Hofburg in Vienna told the “Krone” from afar. The latter almost sounded like a presidential excuse that he — like thousands of delegates — hadn’t flown to Egypt in a particularly climate-friendly manner. After all, the president did not waste a minute before his speech to the UN today to plunge into the hot desert sands in the fight to save the climate.

“Certainly against the background of war, the energy crisis and rising prices, it is more important than ever to take big steps forward,” said Van der Bellen combatively. He personally let the large numbers of youth representatives and environmental activists know that he sympathized with them: “The young people rightly criticize that nothing is being done on climate protection.”

Chancellor Karl Nehammer had previously gotten his fill of demonstrating Fridays for Future activists in Vienna for not flying to Sharm El Sheikh. What Greta Thunberg’s students had overlooked: their idol, commendably, hadn’t flown to the hot-air summit to save emissions.

Eco-activists have a hard time in Egypt
In general, Greenpeace, WWF & Co. not having an easy time in the Red Sea resort. Because the authoritarian regime of President al-Sisi only wants to allow the usual demonstrations – if at all – in designated areas. Arrests would have been made earlier. Local Fridays for Future activist Klara König also complains about this: “The human rights situation in Egypt is extremely tense, which makes our work almost impossible.”

Source: Krone

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related