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The EU promises to increase its emission reductions. But that is not enough, say critics at the climate conference COP27 in Egypt.
The climate conference in Egypt has been dominated by calls for rich nations to fulfill their pledges to finance the green transitions of poorer countries to help them deal with global warming.
European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans says on Tuesday that the EU will update its climate commitment and exceed the original plan to reduce emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
– The European Union is here to move forward, not backward. The EU’s 27 nations will be able to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent from 1990 levels, Timmermans said.
Not enough
However, the announcement received a lukewarm reception, with several saying that the EU’s commitments do not go far enough.
– This small increase announced today at COP27 does not do justice to the calls from the most vulnerable countries on the frontline, says Chiara Martinelli, from Climate Action Network Europe.
– If the EU, with a long history of emitting greenhouse gases, does not lead the way in mitigating climate change, then who will?
COP27 has exposed deep divisions between rich countries responsible for the large emissions and poor nations that bear a smaller share of the blame for global warming, but in many places pay the highest price in the form of floods, parched farmland and other climate impacts.
Lack of leadership
“The lack of leadership and ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is worrying,” said Senegal’s Environment Minister Alioune Nodoye, speaking on behalf of the least developed countries group.
Belize’s Climate Change Minister Orlando Habet called for more action from the G20 group, which accounts for 80 percent of global emissions and meets at the summit in Indonesia.
– In how many COPs have we argued for urgent climate action? And how many more do we need, how many lives do we need to sacrifice?, Habet said.