Monday, November 1st, 2021
Climate Conference in Glasgow
Merkel is promoting global CO2 prices
On the second day of the World Climate Conference, heads of state and government address the international community with haunting words. While Chancellor Merkel is making a plea for pricing carbon emissions, US President Biden wants to stand out from his predecessor.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has campaigned for a global award on greenhouse gas emissions as a central instrument for the change in industry and society. “We will not get ahead with government activities alone,” she said at the start of the world climate conference in Glasgow. It is about a comprehensive transformation of life and business. “That is why I want to make a clear plea here for pricing carbon emissions.”
These already exist within the EU and, for example, also in China. With such a price one could get the industry to find the best technological way to achieve climate neutrality. This also applies, for example, to CO2 emissions in the transport sector. “In the decade of action in which we now live, to be more ambitious nationally, but to find global instruments that not only use taxpayers’ money, but that are economically sensible,” she explained. “And for me that is CO2 pricing.”
In addition to EU emissions trading for power plants and industry, Germany has also introduced a general surcharge for fuel, gas and heating oil, for example. The income is intended to promote change and cushion social hardship. As an industrial and exporting country, Germany is very interested in the introduction of such prices in other countries. This is the only way to ensure fair competition. Otherwise, the EU is already planning to impose a tax on imports from countries with less stringent CO2 standards.
Biden sees opportunities in the fight against climate change
US President Joe Biden also traveled to the World Climate Conference, who called on the heads of state and government to act in view of the worsening climate crisis. “We are at a turning point in world history,” said Biden. “We only have a short window of time ahead of us.”
The US President went on to say: “Glasgow must be the starting signal for a decade of ambition and determination.” Biden warned of the consequences if the measures were inadequate. “Every day we wait, the cost of inaction increases.” Biden said fighting climate change also creates opportunities. Millions of well-paid jobs could be created. The US wanted to lead by example. “I know that wasn’t the case. That’s why my government is working overtime to show that our commitment to climate protection is action, not words.”
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had doubted whether climate change was man-made – which has clearly been scientifically refuted. Biden has made the fight against climate change one of his most important goals. After taking office, he had led the US back to the Paris climate agreement, from which Trump had withdrawn. Biden is currently also trying to implement legislative packages with ambitious climate protection projects in their own country. He had not succeeded in doing so before the world climate conference in Glasgow because of fierce wing fighting in his own Democratic Party.
Johnson: “It’s one minute to twelve”
Great Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued an urgent warning in Glasgow that the conference would fail. If the world cannot bring itself to decisive action, the judgment of future generations will be devastating, he said. UN Secretary General António Guterres demanded that all governments should end their subsidies for fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, phase out coal and set a price for all greenhouse gas emissions. “It’s time to say: enough,” said Guterres. “Enough brutal attacks on biodiversity. Enough carbon self-destruction. Enough that nature is treated like a toilet.”
“It is one minute to twelve,” said Johnson in a speech at the beginning of a plenary session of heads of state and government from around the world. Therefore, the COP26 in Glasgow must be the moment “when we take climate change really seriously and we really deal with coal, cars, money and trees,” said Johnson. “The anger and impatience of the world” would be “irrepressible” if the states fail to agree on significant climate protection measures.
The two-week COP26 started on Sunday. Negotiations on the further implementation of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement of 2015 will take place until November 12th. In it, the international community agreed to limit global warming to well below two degrees, ideally 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial age. Experts and the UN warn, however, that the earth is currently heading for a warming of 2.7 degrees in this century. The earth has already warmed up by about 1.1 degrees; in Germany it is already 1.6 degrees.
The conference chairman Alok Sharma warned on Sunday that the COP26 is the “last” hope to reach the 1.5-degree target. A setback came from the G20 summit on Sunday: the economic powers only made vague decisions on climate protection and, from the point of view of most observers, failed to send a strong political signal to Glasgow.