The SPD, Greens and FDP presented their long-awaited agreement on Wednesday. At its heart lie climate protection and a commitment to put Germany on the path toward limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Regarding renewable energies, all the signs are pointing toward growth – albeit with one slight downside.
Even after the end of the UN Climate Change Conference, we are still a long way from achieving the 1.5°C target that is urgently needed if we are to avoid the most devastating effects of the global climate crisis. According to calculations by the IEA, even if all the pledges made in Glasgow are actually kept, which is by no means certain, the Earth will still heat up by at least 1.8°C. That is clearly too much. But even though the results of COP26 are disappointing, there was also progress in some areas.
It has been six years since the world’s nations agreed to limit man-made global warming to significantly below 2 °C in the landmark Paris Agreement. Since then, there have been many announcements and promises. But we are still waiting for concrete steps and effective measures to curb the climate crisis. It is crucial that COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next week, finally brings a breakthrough. Before it is too late.
Germany voted. The exploratory talks regarding the formation of a new German Federal Government are already ramping up. The demonstrations by the Fridays for Future movement in which more than 600,000 people participated in 470 locations last Friday impressively underlined once more that climate policy must occupy a central role in the negotiations. If the fight against the climate crisis is to be effective, the new Federal Government must not simply settle for “more of the same.” We need faster and far more substantial expansion of renewable energy sources.
U.S. President Joe Biden has invited 40 international heads of government to a virtual climate summit he is hosting tomorrow, on Earth Day. An important initiative, because only swift joint action can stop the increasingly dramatic global warming to which the recently published UN climate report 2020 again attests.
Following an all-night marathon meeting, the heads of state and government of the European Union agreed early on Friday morning to cut the greenhouse gas emissions in EU countries by at least 55 percent by 2030, against to 1990. This is a step forward, but not a breakthrough in order to avoid climate collapse.
In 2019, there were 358 wars and conflicts worldwide. Often involved are countries from which we obtain oil, gas and coal. In addition to the fight against climate change, this is another important reason to make the world less dependent on fossil fuels as quickly as possible.
After a long break, people around the world will again take to the streets at Fridays for Future protests for more climate protection tomorrow. This is very much a good thing. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis must not be allowed to slip out of view for politics, business and society. On the contrary: the coronavirus crisis has shown what is possible when all players pull together. We must now use this momentum to stop climate change.
The Coronavirus poses a big challenge for people and the economy around the world. It’s on each and every one of us now to observe the necessary precautions and in particular to keep our distance from each other. At the same time, however, we should all stand together in order to minimize the impact of the virus and contain its spread.