Climate change is a race against the clock

Climate change is a race against the clock

Debater: Millions of people risk starvation and death

This is an opinion piece. It is the writer who stands for the views that are put forward in the text, not the newspaper Aftonbladet.

DEBATE. This weekend begins the international climate summit COP24 in Katowice. A lot is at stake when the world’s eyes in two weeks be directed at the Polish city. For it is now the world’s countries to agree on how the paris agreement will be implemented in practice.

There is still a huge gap between what countries, on the one hand, promised in the paris peace agreement, and what on the other hand, actually do in practice to reduce their emissions. The decisions in Katowice can make a huge difference for the climate and for the future of our planet.

As the only official negotiators from the european Parliament at the un climate summit, I feel a great responsibility. It is now the case. The UN’s climate panel, the IPCC ruled in a report a few weeks ago, and that it required a historic shift for halting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

at the same time global carbon emissions to increase, instead of reduce. This year has extremtorka and fires ravaged many parts of the world. Sweden was hit hard in the summer, most recently, the united states has suffered in California.

These extreme weather should push the countries of the world to take responsibility for the climate summit. We can still do the 1.5-gradersmålet, but it is a race against the clock that demands that the world act immediately to reduce emissions.

All countries must reduce their emissions more than in the moment

the Difference between that limit warming to 1.5 degrees instead of two may sound trivial. But in fact, the impact is huge. At 2 degrees can million people in coastal areas are forced on the run. Our access to food and clean water will be seriously challenged at the same time as the ecosystem collapses. Million people risk starvation and death.

Therefore, all we who are negotiating at the un climate summit to take responsibility. So that the paris agreement does not go down in history as a flop, but instead as the start of a new global correctly for the climate and a sustainable future. Then it is necessary that all countries must undertake to implement the real actions and reduce their emissions more than they are currently. And it is, therefore, now in Katowice, as the countries of the world need to deliver.

For me, it is obvious that Europe will go ahead in the international climate change process

to cope with the transition to a more climate-resilient society, emissions must reduce in all sectors. It offers great opportunities in the form of new green jobs and sustainable growth, but of course, there are also short-term profit from fossildrakar and reactionary political forces who oppose stronger climate targets. I take the fight against them in my daily work in the european Parliament’s environment committee, and I will take the fight, also in Katowice.

We have a strong mandate to push on and help the world’s countries to increase efforts to reduce carbon emissions. It also applies to the EU countries and their own efforts to reduce their climate emissions. To the EU’s overall emissions to be in line with the paris agreement, they must reduce by 55% by the year 2030.

For me, it is obvious that Europe will go ahead in the international climate change process, we have both a responsibility and the prerequisites. The EU can show that it is worthwhile to go ahead and reduce emissions. It can strengthen our competitiveness globally by being the driving force for green technologies and innovations, just as Sweden and many Swedish companies do.

I think both of our ability as our duty to build a better society for the future. Now requires political leadership and concrete action. Either show the international community that it is serious about limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees, or so, allowed the rising temperatures the splint on. I will fight to Katowice is a success and a historic turning point for the climate.

It is up to the evidence for the countries in the world to deliver the real action that reduces emissions. Otherwise, this is the paris agreement, that we were proud of, just beautiful words on a piece of paper in a drawer.

\nJytte Guteland, negotiators of the european Parliament delegation to the COP24 (S)

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