Like the other leaders attending the first days of the climate summit (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, President Gustavo Petro had only three minutes to speak. At the world’s most important meeting on climate change, attended by more than 97,000 participants, he chose to give a speech that mixed the inequalities of climate change, the “Gaza genocide” and even Hitler.
“CO2 emissions can also be measured by social inequality. It is the rich who emit and consume the most carbon, while the poor do the least. “This social inequality is the reason why the goals of the Paris COP failed,” were his first words. He was referring to the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, which stipulated that countries must prevent the global average temperature from rising by more than 2°C compared to pre-industrial times and “make every effort to limit even positive points . “the temperature increase of 1.5 °C.”
Petro’s speech began with an essentially climatic topic. But as he talked about the wealth and emissions inequalities between countries, his words became increasingly sophisticated. “The American dream, the European comfort, the catch-up syndrome of China and India are based on complete CO2 consumption,” he said. “It is consumption based on the death of others.”
Then he suggested an exercise. “Let us imagine a fusion, a combination of facts: the forecast of the climate crisis in five or ten years and the current genocide of the Palestinian people. Are these events unrelated or can we see a reflection of the immediate future? The genocide and barbarism of the Palestinian people are what await the exodus of the southern peoples triggered by the climate crisis,” he continued. “But this massive exodus will find answers in the north (…) Hitler is knocking on the doors of the homes of the European and North American middle classes and many have already let him in,” he noted.
“The exodus is being responded to with great violence. With barbarism itself. What we see in Gaza is the test of the future. Why did major carbon-consuming countries allow the systematic murder of thousands of children in Gaza? Because Hitler has already invaded their homes and they are preparing to defend their high CO2 consumption and stave off the exodus it will cause.”
Only at the end of his speech did the president address the country’s proposals against climate change. He called for the COP plans to be made binding in order to achieve planning for the transition to a decarbonized economy and again mentioned the exchange of public debt for the issuance of special drawing rights. “We have also proposed strengthening and reforming the United Nations, we have stopped signing coal, oil and gas exploration contracts and we have eliminated gasoline subsidies,” he said. “We advocate a global ban on fracking.”
By the time Petro finished his words, more than nine minutes had already passed on the COP28 clock.
This article was produced with support from Climate Tracker’s Climate Justice and Journalism program for COP28