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China, the world’s largest emitting nation, unveiled a limited set of new green energy ambitions at Saturday’s digital climate summit. More than 70 heads of state and government spoke, including Erna Solberg.
Donald Trump, who has pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement, was not present. But Joe Biden has promised to join the United States on January 20 and host his own climate summit during his first 100 days as president. “There is no time to lose,” Biden said in a statement before the summit.
– Welcome back, welcome home! French President Emmanuel Macron said in English in his speech at the Climate Ambition Summit, which the UN organized together with France and Britain.
“Dramatic crisis”
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the climate video conference on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, here from the Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday. Photo: Yoan Valat, Pool via AP / NTB
Among the countries that were not invited to speak are Brazil and Australia, both accused of ignoring the climate crisis.
– If we don’t change course, we could be heading for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century, said UN chief António Guterres, asking if anyone can still deny that we are facing a dramatic crisis.
Today’s climate commitments are far from sufficient to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
– That is why today I ask all world leaders to declare a climate crisis in their countries until carbon neutrality is achieved, said Guterres at the inauguration of the summit.
Much worse than a pandemic
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said we must protect our planet from a challenge that is far more devastating than the corona pandemic. And it is not because the British are “green freaks squeezing trees and eating mung beans” that they are introducing climate measures, he noted.
The image is from the Gray Glacier glacier in Chile. Photo: NTB / Reuters
“We do it because we know that scientific advances will allow us, as a united humanity, to save our planet and create millions of high-skilled jobs while becoming covid,” said Johnson, who announced a “green industrial revolution” that he hopes will create 250,000 new job positions.
Before the summit, Johnson promised that the UK would end all direct support for all foreign oil, gas and coal projects.
China aims for the top
Israel and Pakistan promised to phase out coal-fired power plants. India boasted of its own efforts, but there was little news that could be traced in the manner of action of the country ravaged by increasingly erratic weather and air pollution.
President Xi Jinping said China will work to reduce its emissions intensity by 65 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.
– The goal is to peak carbon emissions by 2030, Xi said, repeating a promise from September when the world’s second-largest economy unveiled plans for net zero emissions by 2060.
Hope in the resurrection
Guterres believes that the pandemic provides us with a unique opportunity for an ecological resurgence of society and economies.
But he is not happy with the public support schemes so far in the pandemic.
– So far, the G20 countries spend 50 percent more on stimulus and rescue packages for sectors related to the production and consumption of fossil fuels, than on low-carbon energy, says Guterres.
This is unacceptable, says the Secretary-General, who points out that the billions needed to build the crown are money we borrow from future generations.
He stated that the central goal of the UN for 2021, therefore, is to build a true global coalition for carbon neutrality by 2050.
For that to happen, Guterres emphasized, we need significant emissions cuts now to reduce global emissions by 45 percent by 2030, compared to the 2010 level.
– Common way
– The Paris Agreement shows our common path. Reduce emissions together. Build resilient and robust societies and mobilize the economy and support. While covid-19 demands attention this year, Paris’s promises have not changed, Solberg said.
More than 110 countries have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, according to the UN. These include the EU, the UK, Japan, South Korea and Norway. Biden also repeated that promise on Saturday.
A measure of carbon neutrality or net zero emissions in practice means a combination of reducing emissions and offsetting the effect of all remaining emissions. The effect of residual emissions can be offset by sucking CO2 out of the air, for example by planting a large number of trees or developing new technology.
