EU chief calls for leadership at climate 'moment of truth'
The European Union’s chief executive is calling for climate leadership ahead of two major international meetings focused on curbing global warming
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The European Union’s chief executive called Thursday for a show of climate leadership ahead of two major international meetings focused on curbing global warming, warning that world leaders face “a moment of truth.”
“What we need is, first of all, leadership,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said before she heads to a weekend summit in Rome of the Group of 20 most developed nations. The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, starts Sunday in Glasgow Scotland.
“We need leadership for credible commitments for decarbonization to reach the goal of net-zero mid-century. But we also need sufficient commitments to really cut the emissions this decade,” von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels
A new report by the U.N. Environment Programme has found that fresh pledges by governments to cut emissions are raising hopes but aren’t strict enough to keep global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century.
It concluded that recent announcements by dozens of countries, including the 27-nation EU, to aim for “net-zero” emissions by 2050 could, if fully implemented, limit a global temperature rise to 2.2 degrees Celsius (4 F). That’s closer but still above the less stringent target agreed upon in the 2015 Paris climate accord of capping global warming at 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F) compared to pre-industrial times.
Von der Leyen said the world remains “on a very dangerous course” and that leaders must take immediate steps to limit the global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees.
“It’s not a question of 30-40 years. It’s now. It’s this decade where we have to get better, otherwise we risk to reach irreversible tipping points,” she said.
Leaders, diplomats, scientists and environmental activists meet in Glasgow from Oct. 31-Nov. 12 to discuss how countries and businesses can adjust their targets to avert the more extreme climate change scenarios that would result in a significant sea-level rise, more frequent wild weather and more droughts.
On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that global warming could pose “an existential threat to humanity.” He said that he would use his trip to the G20 summit to press all countries, including major emerging economies such as China, to do more on climate change.
___
Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change.