COP27: Biden says climate crisis threatens earth’s life
Joe Biden on Friday warned at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt that global warming poses an existential threat to the planet. He pledged that the United States would meet the targets set out in its climate action plan.
While a host of other crises are distracting international attention from climate change, such as a land war in Europe and rampant inflation, his speech aimed to increase global ambition to prevent the negative effects of climate change.
During a packed room of delegates at the United Nations climate conference that was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, a seaside resort city in the north of Egypt, he made the assertion that climate change threatens the survival and well-being of the human race.
It is with confidence that I can stand here as president of the United States and say that the United States of America will meet our emissions targets by 2030,” he told the audience, stating that steps are being taken by the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
There was a domestic plan presented by Biden’s administration in advance of his arrival to crack down on the U.S. oil and gas industry’s emissions of methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, before his arrival. After months of lobbying from drillers, the move defied their attempts to influence the decision.
As part of the joint declaration, Washington and the EU also pledged to do more to combat greenhouse gas emissions from the oil industry, along with Japan, Canada, Norway, Singapore and Britain. There was an international agreement launched last year and has since been signed by around 130 nations to reduce economy-wide emissions by 30% during this decade under that declaration that was designed to build on the deal launched last year.
The best way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, Biden said, referring to the central goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit temperature increases.
Biden said global crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were not an excuse to lower climate ambition.
“Against this backdrop, it’s more urgent than ever that we double down on our climate commitments. Russia’s war only enhances the urgency of the need to transition the world off its dependence on fossil fuels,” he said.
SKEPTICISM
In the wake of the announcements, a cloud of skepticism hangs over the idea that the government of the world is doing enough to address climate change.
According to the United Nations, a report released last week showed that global emissions will increase by 10.6% by 2030 from 2010 levels, even as devastating storms, droughts, wildfires, and floods are still inflicting billions of dollars’ worth of damage worldwide as a result of natural disasters.
According to scientists, emissions need to drop by 43% by that time to limit global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial temperatures, as stated in the Paris Agreement of 2015, which is the goal of the agreement. There comes a point when climate change risks spiral completely out of control at a level that is above that threshold.
It has also been suggested by a number of countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, that a near-term increase in fossil fuel supplies will help bring down consumer energy prices that spiked as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
As Washington has repeatedly said, its call for an increase in oil and gas production is not at odds with the long-term aim of decarbonizing the U.S. economy over the long run.
Additionally, Biden pledged during his speech that an increase in funding would be made available to assist other countries in embracing the energy transition, adapting to the effects of a warmer world, and preparing for the events that might arise from it.
The fact that wealthy countries have not yet fully delivered on their promise to contribute $100 billion to climate adaptation each year has been a thorny issue at the talks. The transfer last year was only around $83 billion, which is quite small compared to previous years.
According to Alice Hill of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, a former official in the Obama administration, although the president announced a number of climate-related programs, he was unable to deliver what the developing world most wants – enough funds to adapt to climate extremes.
During the interview, she pointed out that Biden would need to get the support of the US Congress in order to boost that funding. She added that this could become more difficult after his Democratic party lost seats in this week’s midterm elections, even though Biden is a member of the House.
There is also criticism from Climate Action Network International’s Harjeet Singh, who heads the policy and advocacy group, that Biden has not given clear support for a proposal to make wealthy nations pay for the damage caused by climate change in poor countries.
The media does not seem to care about loss and damage finance at all,” Singh said, calling Biden “out of touch with climate crisis reality” and “out of touch with the world we live in.”.
The United Nations has come under fire from human rights activists for holding the COP27 in Egypt, whose government has been accused of abuses since a 2013 military overthrow of its first democratically elected president.
Upon Biden’s arrival, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told him that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and is keen to develop in that regard.
Source- Reuters
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