Switzerland welcomes new recommendations on climate protection
Published: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 16:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Dec 13th 2023, 16:10
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Switzerland welcomes the recommendations adopted at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) on the expansion of renewable energies and the recommendation to phase out fossil fuels. COP28 came to an end on Wednesday in Dubai.
According to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the recommendations drawn up by the states are aimed at following up on the requirements of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The progress of the agreement is measured every five years as part of the UN Climate Change Conference. The interim assessment adopted at COP28 takes account of scientific findings and highlights the gaps in global climate protection.
The recommendations for the expansion of renewable energies and energy efficiency apply until 2030 and the recommendation to phase out coal, oil and gas by 2050.
The latter is a novelty, the FOEN wrote in the press release. Switzerland has worked towards such recommendations and views the result positively. As a small country, it is reliant on countries with high greenhouse gas emissions also making efforts to phase out fossil fuels.
International climate financing
The basic rules for the fund for climate-related loss and damage were also defined at COP28. This is intended to support the poorest countries and those particularly affected by climate change. According to the FOEN, it would have been desirable for all countries that cause high greenhouse gas emissions and have the financial means to be asked to make contributions.
Switzerland is also making its contribution to international climate financing, i.e. supporting measures to combat greenhouse gas emissions.
To implement the goal, Switzerland is doubling its adaptation funding, the FOEN added. It is providing a total of CHF 171 million to a network of UN institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These would provide technical assistance in countries affected by disasters, for example in setting up early warning systems.
NGOs see partial success
Nature conservation organizations and NGOs see the results of COP28 as a partial success with a signal effect. The decision is a clear signal to all companies, banks and insurance companies: Investing in new infrastructure for fossil fuels is no longer sustainable," said WWF climate protection expert Patrick Hofstetter.
Greenpeace still sees many loopholes and inadequacies, as there is no mention of a "phase-out" of fossil fuels. The aid organization Helvetas is of the same opinion: "The phase-out previously demanded by over 100 countries does not appear in the final text," wrote the NGO. For Helvetas, the final declaration of COP28 is therefore a disappointment.
Alliance Sud was also disappointed. The text of the resolution was far from reflecting the urgency of the climate crisis. The states in the global North have a duty to provide the necessary funding by COP29 in Baku.
For the Roman Catholic aid organization Fastenaktion, the steps are also not ambitious enough. The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement cannot be achieved in this way, the aid organization wrote in a press release.
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