US President Joe Biden assured that the United States is doing its part and called on “all countries” at COP27 on Friday to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming that threatens “the life of the planet”. “The United States has acted, everyone must act, it is the responsibility of global leadership,” he said during a brief appearance in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for the annual United Nations climate change conference.
“To win this battle, every country among the main emitters must adjust to +1.5°C,” he added in the 22-minute speech, which was interrupted for a few seconds by anti-fossil fuel activists. The Paris Agreement aims to limit warming to well below +2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, preferably to +1.50°C. In this context, the text provides for a common but “differentiated” responsibility of the countries. However, developing countries regularly remind developed countries of their responsibility for emissions and urge them to do more.
Get out of the dependence on fossil fuels
“We can no longer plead ignorance about the consequences of our actions or keep making the same mistakes,” stressed the US President. “The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, national security and life on the planet.”
In this regard, he stressed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has led to a global energy crisis, “only increases the urgency for the world to emerge from its dependence on fossil fuels.”
“The United States will respect its goals”
He also asserted that the United States was “on track” to meet its goal of reducing its emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030. “The United States will achieve its goals”.
While Americans voted for the crucial midterm elections on Tuesday, Joe Biden was absent from the summit that brought together a hundred leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday and Tuesday.
He made a brief stopover in Egypt before traveling to Cambodia for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and Indonesia for a G20 summit.