President Biden heads to climate summit as global emissions hit record high
US President Joe Biden is headed to UN climate talks in Egypt armed with major domestic achievements against global warming but under pressure to do more for countries reeling from natural disasters.
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Biden will spend only a few hours at Cop27 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, three days after US midterm elections that have raised questions about what the result could mean for US climate policy.
Climate action in the United States – the world's second biggest emitter – was given a major boost this year when Congress passed a landmark spending bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion for clean energy and climate initiatives.
"We're living in a decisive decade – one in which we have an opportunity to prove ourselves and advance the global climate fight," Biden said on Twitter.
Tomorrow, I'll join other global leaders at the COP27 in Egypt.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 11, 2022
We're living in a decisive decade – one in which we have an opportunity to prove ourselves and advance the global climate fight. Let this be a moment where we answer history’s call. Together.
Rising carbon emissions
New research shows just how dauntingly hard it will be to meet the goal of capping global warming at 1.5°C above preindustrial levels – requiring emissions to be slashed nearly in half by 2030.
The new study – published on Friday in the journal Earth System Science Data – found that emissions from fossil fuels are on track to rise 1 percent in 2022 to reach an all-time high.
Cop27 talks have been dominated by the need for wealthy polluters to stop stalling on helping developing countries green their economies and prepare for future impacts – as well as calls to provide financial help for the damage already being caused by climate-induced catastrophes.
New investments in #FossilFuels are completely incompatible with the climate agreements countries have signed up to, says @vanessa_vash
— Global Witness (@Global_Witness) November 11, 2022
To stay true to their commitments, countries at #COP27 must listen to #PeopleNotPolluters and quit fossil fuels for good.
(VC @daisydunnesci) pic.twitter.com/LXP5GepMmE
Fighting for climate justice
According to Ugandan climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate, "The world needs the United States to be a climate leader in our fight for climate justice."
Germany's climate envoy, Jennifer Morgan, said Biden's attendance at Cop27 was a "very good sign".
"I think it reassures countries, people, that the United States at the highest level takes this issue incredibly seriously and we need that," Morgan told reporters.
- France offers billions to help its climate-damaging industries halve emissions
- Macron urges US, China to pay their fair share for climate change
Getting 'serious'
This comes as Biden will reportedly "underscore the need to go further, faster, to help the most vulnerable communities build their resilience" and push major economies to "dramatically" cut emissions.
"How long do we have to sit around to wait before we say, 'Hey let's get really serious'," US climate envoy John Kerry told a Cop27 panel.
This week, Kerry presented a public-private partnership aimed at supporting the transition to renewable energy in developing nations and based on a carbon credit system.
But the plan has been panned by activists wary of firms using these to "offset" their carbon emissions.
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