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ANNOUNCEMENTS••Edited
After more than two weeks of negotiations, an agreement at the Egypt climate summit is still not in sight. European climate commissioner Frans Timmermans is concerned about the outcome. “All EU ministers are ready to leave if we don’t get a good result”.
The climate summit in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh should have concluded yesterday, but two issues remain under discussion: the acceleration of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the establishment of a global fund against climate damage for the countries vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.
The United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom presented a proposal on the latter last night. “It is very important that the United States has now supported this. It has always been fiercely against the compensation fund,” says journalist Heleen Ekker, who was present at the summit. The European Union has already announced its support for this fund.
The big question now is how other powerful countries feel about it, especially China. China is formally still seen as a developing country, but in practice, according to the EU, this is no longer the case. “We can only accept a compensation fund if it is aimed at the most vulnerable countries,” Timmermans says.
The European Commissioner stresses that the target of a maximum of 1.5 degrees of warming must be maintained. He says he’s seen too little movement on the other side in the last few hours. “We will not accept an outcome if steps are taken back. We would rather have no deal than a bad deal.” Despite his concerns, Timmermans believes that today a positive result is within reach.
NOS journalist Youssef Abjij reports that the negotiating texts state that the 1.5 degree warming limit is under discussion.
Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten, also in Sharm-el-Sheikh, is morose. He says some points of last year’s Glasgow climate deal are under discussion again.
“I don’t think anyone is happy with the progress we made last night,” Jetten says. “We are still waiting for some messages, but we appear to be returning to Glasgow, and this is unacceptable.”
