For the EU, it is particularly important to forge alliances with those countries that are already pursuing ambitious climate goals, said Streitner in an interview with the APA. “The challenges at this year’s climate conference have not become any smaller. Much is overshadowed by the Ukraine war, which definitely has an impact on international climate diplomacy,” said Streitner. According to Streitner, talks between industrialized and emerging countries in particular could become difficult, since the goals and ambitions on the subject of climate protection are very different between these countries.
With the goal of reducing emissions by 55 percent by 2030, the European Union is ahead of the pack when it comes to climate targets. “No other state has put such a goal on the table before,” he said. But the USA, which has been part of the Paris climate protection agreement since President Joe Biden took office at the beginning of last year, also wants to reduce its greenhouse gases by 50 to 52 percent by 2030. The big difference, however, is that the base year for the USA is not 1990, as is the case for the EU, but 2005, in which, according to Streitner, the USA reached its peak in greenhouse gas emissions. “So the goal is comparatively less ambitious,” he said. China, as one of the world’s largest emitters, is still “far away from desirable ambitions”.
“Many countries are also not prepared to go along with the climate goals in the way the EU would like, we will not be able to do that,” said Streitner. For example, China is currently investing heavily in coal expansion. According to the global coal company database “Global Coal Exit List (GCEL)”, around 476 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power plant capacity are currently being planned worldwide, 61 percent of them in China. This is despite the fact that the country signed a pact with the United States on the sidelines of last year’s climate conference to phase out coal, among other things.
“We are now in a situation where it is particularly difficult to get China and other emerging countries to take binding measures,” said Streitner. It is therefore all the more important that the EU join forces with other countries, especially the USA, to protect the climate. The G7 already discussed plans to set up such an international “climate club” at a summit in June. In addition to Germany, the G7 group includes the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. “The EU must work massively with the USA so that it is not left alone when it comes to climate protection,” said Streitner. The EU’s current deliberations on “climate tariffs” tend to be counterproductive. “We must not isolate ourselves,” he emphasized.
“At the climate conference, there is a lot of talk about setting goals,” says Streitner. However, concrete measures are much more important. However, Streitner expects this less from the climate conference than from the Austrian federal government. Although the expansion of renewable energy sources in Austria and the EU has been progressing more rapidly since the Ukraine crisis, many companies are “standing with their backs to the wall” due to rising energy prices.
For this reason, Streitner sees a lot of catching up to do in Germany, especially when it comes to corporate funding. He welcomed the billion-euro support package put together by the government in mid-October for the switch to a climate-friendly and energy-neutral industry, with a total of around 5.7 billion euros going into the climate and transformation offensive by 2030. The problem with switching to climate-friendly processes in industry is not only the initial investment costs, but also the operating costs. According to Streitner, these should also be promoted. In addition, additional instruments are needed to cushion the high energy prices, and at the same time approval procedures must be accelerated. “Austrian companies have come a long way, every company has given some thought to the topic of climate protection,” says Streitner. “The plans are there, now we need action,” he said.
Source: Nachrichten
