During this year’s climate summit (COP29), the countries of the world will talk about money for the first time since 2009. Green transition costs money, and poor countries need help to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Therefore, climate finance is the focus, and agreement on money is the goal. People arrive at the climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday morning. Photo: Peter Dejong / AP At the same time, the Red Cross is sounding the humanitarian climate alarm in a press release on Wednesday morning. Hurricanes, floods, torrential rain and heat waves have characterized the news over the past year. – We are concerned about the growing gap between what the climate scientists tell us is needed, and what we have to implement as measures, says Anne Bergh, secretary general of the Red Cross. And although scientists have been sounding the alarm for years, global emissions are 8 percent higher this year, compared to 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed. This year, emissions from coal, oil, gas and cement will probably increase by 0.8 percent: Albania: – A picture of the world – I have decided to put away the speech I have been preparing for. This is how the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, began his speech on the climate summit’s third day. – During the time I have been here, I have looked at the TV screens in the back rooms, where leaders and those who have organized the summit stay. People eat, drink, greet and take photos of each other, while images of voiceless speakers are played in the background, Rama said. Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, during his speech at the climate summit. Photo: Murad Sezer / Reuters – For me, this appears as a picture of what is happening in the world, every single day. Speeches full of promises and good words about fighting the climate crisis change nothing. People just carry on as before, said the prime minister, clearly exasperated. He also made a clear criticism of the world’s nations and their inability to actually make a green transition. – What on earth are we doing, here we meet again and again and again, if there is no political will to implement actual change, he asked. Critical for island nations For several countries, the warnings have become reality a long time ago, and something they feel on their bodies every day. Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, said from the podium that the increased occurrence of extreme weather and hurricanes is hitting the small island nation hard. – We will continue to protect the forests on the seabed, but we also depend on the G20 countries, which account for 80 per cent of global carbon emissions, to do what they can. – Whether we survive or not is up to us. If we don’t act now, our children and grandchildren will have to bear the burden, Davis added. The same applies to the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. – Climate change affects the world unevenly and makes us vulnerable. We can no longer wait for empty promises, said Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of the country. Gaston Browne (TV) during a panel debate during this year’s climate summit. Photo: Maxim Shemetov / Reuters He says they are dependent on financial support from other countries, to be able to face climate change and continue the work they do to preserve their own natural areas. – Rich countries that pollute a lot try to disclaim responsibility for climate change, instead of committing to change – and then implement what they promise, said Brown. That includes climate finance, says the prime minister. – And if we are to achieve climate justice, the money must be fairly distributed, available to those who need it and without any demand for repayment. The big picture: What if we don’t meet the 1.5 degree target? In recent years, global temperatures have approached the limit of 1.5 degrees warming dangerously fast. Although few now believe that we can meet the ambitious target from the Paris Agreement to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, not all hope is lost. Swipe on to understand what the rise in temperature means, and what we can do about it. Javier Ernesto Auris Chavez / news 1.5 degrees That temperatures in the world are rising by 1.5 degrees from pre-industrial times may sound small. But the world is already seeing consequences such as more frequent and more powerful extreme weather, and glaciers that melt and will contribute to increased sea level rise. Here in Norway, the Norwegian Climate Services Center notices an increase in torrential rain. In 2023, the temperature was 1.45 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times. Two degrees For every degree the temperature rises, the consequences get worse. If the temperature rises by two degrees from pre-industrial times, the research says, among other things, that almost all shallow-water tropical coral reefs will disappear. Extreme heat, which previously only happened once a decade, can be expected approximately every two years. Two degrees of warming also threatens food security in parts of the world. The UN climate panel says the Arctic can experience one ice-free summer every decade with this warming Three degrees If the world manages to implement the climate cuts they have promised, we will avoid experiencing a global warming of three degrees. According to UNEP, the measures are enough to stop warming at 2.6 degrees. Three degrees of warming is a dramatic scenario where many people experience deadly heat waves every year. There are an estimated 96,000 heat-related deaths in Europe alone. The chance that we will reach so-called tipping points with major, irreversible changes in the climate system is also significantly greater. Truls Alnes Antonsen / © Is it just to give up, then? Fewer and fewer people think we can manage to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. That does not mean that there is no point in doing anything. For every decimal degree of warming the world manages to avoid, the consequences will be made one notch less serious. The world’s leaders have promised to introduce major climate cuts. Even with current policies, the world will continue to warm. But the more we manage to do, the less the consequences will be. Siaosi ‘Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni is Prime Minister of Tonga, which consists of over 170 islands. He said that climate change is an existential threat to the nations of the Pacific, Tonga included. – The tropical cyclones that hit the island are increasing both in intensity and frequency, said Sovaleni. In addition, several of the islands are in danger of being swallowed by the rising sea level, which has risen more in the area around the island nation, compared to the rest of the world. – Depends on what we do today Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, was one of the first to take the podium on Wednesday. He spoke about the measures the country is taking to achieve climate targets and bring about a green, profitable transition. – Our future depends on what we do today, said the Prime Minister. Nearly 30 percent of the country’s energy consumption comes from renewable energy sources. They aim for 42.5 per cent by 2030. – What we have done shows that economic growth and climate considerations can be combined. We are proof that green growth is possible, Plenkovic said. Published 13.11.2024, at 08.55 Updated 13.11.2024, at 09.02
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Albania with harsh criticism during the climate summit – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
