VIENNA. “Of course by train” she will travel to Glasgow on Sunday, stressed the climate protection minister Leonore Gewessler (Green). For a week she will take part in consultations and negotiations and, above all, will prove one thing: “How to become a pioneer in climate protection from a latecomer.”
This is exactly what Austria has proven with the measures recently taken and the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040. In Glasgow, Gewessler wants to use the negotiations to convince other countries to sharpen their national goals. In general, the UN World Climate Conference is now about “bringing life to the Paris Agreement”. This was a big step in 2015, but some things are still open, such as uniform reporting requirements and clear rules for trading emissions certificates. “Computer tricks will not save the climate,” said the climate protection minister. According to Gewessler, richer countries should also increase their contributions to the financing of climate projects. The government has quadrupled its contribution to the Green Climate Fund to 130 million euros. Gewessler is certain that the impact of the climate conference should not be underestimated: “The limelight and attention generate political pressure.” (eiba)
Source From: Nachrichten
