Saturday 5th June 2021
The international community must deliver
Merkel: 2021 “significant” for climate protection
Chancellor Merkel calls Germany a pioneer in the EU when it comes to climate protection. To keep it that way, she calls for decisive action from politicians over the next few years – and is counting on the World Climate Conference in Glasgow to bring concrete results at the end of the year.
Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for decisive action to be taken to achieve the new national climate protection targets. “These goals are ambitious, but we can achieve them,” she said on her weekly video podcast. “Now and in the next few years it is important to act decisively – for the preservation of our environment, our own livelihoods, and for future generations all over the world.”
2021 could be “an important year” for climate protection, said Merkel. At the World Climate Conference in Glasgow at the end of the year, the countries of the world must “absolutely provide further impetus for concrete measures”. The EU is already quite far, and Germany has set itself even more ambitious goals with the national climate protection law.
In mid-May, the Federal Cabinet passed a draft of a new climate protection law that tightened the previous requirements. The aim is now to reduce CO2 emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990; previously it was 55 percent. The goal of greenhouse gas neutrality is now to be achieved by 2045 instead of 2050. “We have the appropriate instruments for this in hand,” said Merkel about the new plans. This included “an effective CO2 price, the exit from coal-fired power generation, the increased expansion of renewable energies and the switch to e-mobility”
Merkel also emphasized the importance of less discarded plastic for the environment. The fight against plastic waste is “one of the most important environmental issues worldwide,” said the Chancellor on the occasion of World Environment Day. The motto of the day of action this year is “No to disposable plastic – yes to reusable!”. This is very topical, as many disposable products such as drinking straws or cotton swabs will no longer be allowed to be produced in the EU from July, said Merkel. From 2022, lightweight plastic bags will no longer be allowed to be put into circulation. “We will find out: it will be easy to do without it and it will be a great relief for our environment.” With a view to biodiversity, she called the situation dramatic. However, the UN biodiversity conference in China in October could be a milestone.
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