• COP26 Greta Thunberg leads youth climate march: "Our emperors are naked"

  • Glasgow Climate Summit Boris Johnson urges world leaders to ditch coal

Barack Obama has criticized the lack of "urgency" of China and Russia in the face of the climate crisis, in the most anticipated speech at COP26.

The former US president, who joined forces with Xi Jinping and Valdimir Putin on the Paris Agreement in 2015, initially regretted the absence of the two presidents in Glasgow.

"It is particularly disheartening to see that the leaders of two of the largest issuers

have declined their attendance at this conference,

" Obama declared.

"And their plans reflect what appears to be a worrying lack of urgency, or a maintenance of the status quo in the two countries. And that is regrettable."

"The

United States and Europe must lead in this matter,

" stressed the former president.

"But we cannot allow other countries, like China or India, like Russia, like Indonesia or Brazil, to be left by the wayside."

"I recognize that we live in a difficult time for international cooperation," Obama stressed. "We are witnessing geopolitical tensions caused in part by the pandemic, and in part by the rise of nationalisms and tribal impulses (...)

The lack of multilateral leadership by the United States for four years has

also

contributed

to this situation".

Obama made self-criticism and recalled how President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement meant "

a halt to efforts to reduce emissions

." "But the United States has returned," he stressed. "And anyone who has seen our special climate envoy John Kerry run around these days can say that we are taking it seriously. The infrastructure plan promoted by President Biden also sends a powerful signal to the world: States United must lead by example. "

"Cynicism is the resource of cowards," Obama said, when referring to the bipartisan divisions on climate change, "which affects all countries, but is especially vigorous in mine."

"Saving the planet does not have to be an issue that creates political divisions," he added.

"What's more, I believe that

action on climate change will serve to score political points

."

"Paris was only the beginning"

"Paris was only the beginning, and not a point of arrival," he recalled. "There we created a framework that has allowed us to move forward these six years, but we have not done enough. There has been good news here in Glasgow, with the methane and anti-deforestation agreements, but we are still a long way from achieving what is needed. And there are countries that you can ask for more ambition (...) Achieving a maximum temperature rise of 1.5 degrees is going to take a lot of work. Getting people to work together on a global scale takes time, but

time is what we don't have it

, and only by pressing for more and more is we going to achieve the partial victories that we need ".

Obama, who gave the speech without a tie and as "a private citizen", recalled his condition as the father of two daughters and dedicated the final part of his speech to young people, "who are the ones who are most at risk with all this. The president The American

bluntly told Greta Thunberg and her work in the last two years

: "Protests are necessary to raise awareness."

"I didn't make the cover of 'Time' at 16 for skipping school and fighting climate change, two things I didn't think were connected," Obama said.

"But let me tell you one thing:

the world is full of Gretas

, and that is something that I have been able to verify through the work in our foundation with young people in these years".

Obama finally made a call for perseverance and raised delegates to their feet like never before since the summit began: "To young people I say: we want you to continue angry and frustrated, but channel that frustration.

Keep pressing

, because that is what to do in the face of a challenge like this. This is not a sprint but a marathon. "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • science

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  • Climate change

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