“I’m on the highway to climate hell”: UN chief at climate conference drastic “You never know if they’ll pick you up”: How a Russian fled mobilization

“We are on the highway to climate hell — with our foot on the accelerator,” Guterres told dozens of heads of state and government in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday. At the summit, the federal government announced it would double its resources for global forest protection to €2 billion and increase aid to countries affected by climate catastrophes.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in the plenary that 170 million euros will be made available for a new protective shield against climate risks. The Ministry of Development announced that funds for the protection of the rainforests in Central Africa and South America will be increased by one billion euros by 2025. Both are financed from the annual resources for the fight against climate change, which should increase from 5.3 to 6 billion euros by 2025.

By the end of next week, representatives of about 200 countries in Egypt will discuss how to limit global warming to acceptable levels. The world has already warmed by about 1.1 degrees compared to pre-industrial times – Germany even more.

Guterres said the target agreed in Paris in 2015 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees is in acute jeopardy. “We’re fighting the battle of our lives – and we’re about to lose.” Specifically, the OECD countries should phase out coal by 2030, and all other countries by 2040. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has 38 member states, most of which have a high per capita income.

The Portuguese called for a “historic pact for climate solidarity” between rich countries and emerging and developing countries. He literally said, “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish!”

Scholz emphasized that Germany would phase out fossil fuels “without ifs or buts”. There should be no “renaissance” of gas, oil and coal. “For Germany I say: there will not be.” Switching to sustainable energy requires more speed, more ambition and more cooperation. However, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the associated disconnection of the Russian gas supply has meant that German coal-fired power stations remain on the grid for longer and the federal government wants to stimulate the development of gas fields in Africa, for example.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said there were high hopes for good results. “Millions of people around the world have their eyes on us.” The effects of climate-related weather events are more devastating than ever before. “As soon as we deal with one disaster, another arises — wave after wave.” The earth has turned into a “world of suffering”.

African Union President Macky Sall described the meeting with its 45,000 registered participants as an opportunity “to make history or become a victim of history”. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter: “We face many challenges, but climate change is the biggest.” COP27 is about keeping promises. “We must do everything we can to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.”

At least 15,000 people have died from the heat in Europe alone this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), including thousands in Germany. The region has just experienced its hottest summer and hottest August since the weather records began, regional director Hans Kluge said at the World Climate Conference. The WHO Europe region includes more than 50 countries, including many east of the EU such as Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

At the conference, Kenya’s President William Ruto called for an end to “delay tactics” in climate protection. The lengthy climate negotiations, which have dragged on for many years, are “just cruel and unfair,” said Ruto, who is also a spokesman for the African negotiating group. Climate catastrophes in Africa are already destroying human lives and livelihoods. “Climate change directly threatens the lives, health and future of our peoples.” The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. Two consecutive years without rain have left millions of people in misery.

At the all-time climate conference, environmentalists warned rich industrialized countries against negotiating new gas supplies with African states. Many gas lobbyists can be expected in Sharm el Sheikh. Representatives from Powershift Africa, Greenpeace and the Climate Action Network warned that the meeting was in danger of turning into a “greenwashing” festival. (con/sda/dpa)