Trump delayed environmental plans in the world, but the Israel-Hamas war also has negative effects
Former Peruvian Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, believes that the spirit of that historic COP21 is “absolutely in force”, but now he fears that the conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas will complicate the negotiations at the Summit. Dubai (COP28). With more than three decades of experience Former Peruvian Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, has expressed concern that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could complicate negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP28). He also warned that since the conflict broke out in Ukraine, Eastern Europe may potentially be unable to agree in climate forums due to its membership in two politicized blocs. Despite these challenges, PulgarVidal remains optimistic about the fight against global warming. He also expressed regret over the lack of articulation in Latin America on climate issues, particularly highlighting the African Climate Week 2023 with leaders of the highest level of cooperation and many announcements. He praised the greater willingness to coordinate actions by Amazon countries since the initiative was held in Belém.
Publicerad : 2 år sedan förbi Scribe i Politics
Former Peruvian Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, believes that the spirit of that historic COP21 is “absolutely in force”, but now he fears that the conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas will complicate the negotiations at the Summit. Dubai (COP28).
With more than three decades of experience in environmental law and politics, Pulgar-Vidal remains moderately optimistic in relation to the fight against global warming, although he recognizes in an interview with EFE, in São Paulo (Brazil), that geopolitics “is “feels strongly.”
Once ‘the Trump effect’ has been overcome, a period in which the United States abandoned the Paris Agreement until Joe Biden came to power, and the ravages of the pandemic, the climate debate is now affected by wars.
The impact of wars on COPs
“Ukraine-Russia has generated food security problems and now there is Israel-Palestine, which will definitely be reflected” at the UN Climate Change Conference, which will be held between November 30 and December 12 in United Arab Emirates, he says.
The also leader of WWF’s Climate and Energy Global Practice assures that since the conflict broke out in Ukraine, “Eastern Europe is potentially unable to agree” in climate forums “because it is in two politicized blocs.”
“We even have no idea who may be the next country to host the COP after the Emirates, because it is Eastern Europe’s turn and it seems that there are certain conditions. “Russia doesn’t want it to be any country in the European Union and the Eastern European countries that are in the European Union probably don’t want it to be any Russian ally,” she explained.
In his opinion, the same logic can occur between Israel and the Arab countries at COP28.
“My intuition tells me that there could be difficulties,” predicts the former president of COP20 in 2014.
“Sometimes one even finds that countries that are in a situation of conflict raise their hands for procedural issues that all they do is postpone substantive decisions,” he adds.
Despite the “many obstacles to overcome,” he considers that the fight against the climate emergency, in addition to being political, is an economic and financial process, and that is something that “is becoming strongly dynamic.”
“Obviously we are not at the point we should be, but we are going in the right direction,” says Pulgar-Vidal, who traveled to Brazil to participate in the first edition of the Latin American Green Economy Forum, organized by the EFE Agency.
However, he regrets the lack of articulation in Latin America, which he sees “absolutely fragmented by ideologies for 25 years,” which has diminished “potency and power” on the climate issue, “unlike what happens in Africa.” .
In that context, he mentioned the African Climate Week 2023 that had “leaders of the highest level, a lot of cooperation and many announcements”, something that is not happening in Latin America, in his opinion.
“This division has taken away opportunities for financing, cooperation and technology transfer,” he points out.
Furthermore, he explains that “Latin America, although it is true that it realizes the consequences of climate change, which are evident, has not been able to free itself from the trap of fossil fuels.”
And he cites countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador, all with large gas and/or oil reserves.
“The availability of fossil resources has strongly distracted us from the energy transition,” he says.
Furthermore, he criticizes that “many Latin American countries” still “do not have a clear vision” for 2050 and recalls that, according to official data, the region could lose “20 to 25% of GDP just by not being climate responsible.” .
Although it’s not all bad news. Pulgar-Vidal celebrates the greater willingness to coordinate actions by the Amazon countries since the Belém Summit held in August, at the initiative of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“I hope that the Amazon can be a seed of reunification,” at a time when the biome is facing one of the worst droughts in recent decades, he says.
And he trusts that at COP28 there will be progress in relation to “how to gradually get out of fossil fuels.”
“The spirit of the Paris Agreement remains absolutely valid,” he says.
Ämnen: Donald Trump, Israel