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Washington (AP) - At the climate summit convened by US President Joe Biden, Pentagon boss Lloyd Austin warned urgently of the global security risks posed by climate change.
"Climate change is making the world more unsafe and we have to act," said the US Secretary of Defense. "The climate crisis is a deeply destabilizing force for our world." Austin added: "Today no nation can find permanent security without dealing with the climate crisis." This crisis is of an existential nature. Biden is continuing the online climate summit with top politicians from all over the world this Friday.
On the second and last day of the meeting, several heads of state and government will again have their say.
Among them are the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Company representatives and other stakeholders such as Microsoft founder and co-chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, also take part.
According to the US government, on Friday the focus will be on the importance of innovation and technology for the fight against global warming as well as the economic opportunities associated with it.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized on Thursday: “Global warming is making the world more dangerous.
It has a serious impact on our security. "
Pentagon chief Austin referred to the melting ice in the Arctic and the increasing competition for resources and influence in the region. In Africa and Central America, on the other hand, millions of people are threatened by rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions, drought, hunger and displacement, he said. In the Pacific, rising sea levels and more frequent and stronger storms put people at risk. "While families risk their lives in search of security, mass migration makes them vulnerable to exploitation and radicalization, all of which undermine stability."
On the first day of the summit, Biden called for quick action to contain the climate crisis.
He announced new steps on Thursday: The US wants to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least half compared to 2005 by the end of the decade.
Biden also brought the heads of government of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, to the table - despite great international tensions.
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With the new climate target, the USA is fulfilling a requirement of the Paris Climate Agreement, in which Biden had returned the country on the first day in office.
His predecessor Donald Trump had left the agreement.
It stipulates that the signatory states improve their climate targets every five years.
All partners are to officially do this at the World Climate Conference in Glasgow in November.
The two-day online climate summit hosted by Biden is considered an important preparation for Glasgow. Experts agree that much more has to be done around the world by 2030 if global warming is to remain well below two degrees, as agreed in 2015 by almost 200 countries in Paris. The earth has already heated up by around 1.2 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.
Biden called for a joint show of strength and sees the largest economies in particular as an obligation.
«The signs are unmistakable.
The science is undeniable.
The cost of doing nothing is getting higher, ”he warned.
Biden appealed to the industrialized countries to mobilize money for climate protection and announced more US aid for developing countries.
Biden had invited 40 heads of state and government to the online climate summit, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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UN Secretary General António Guterres urged on Thursday for a global coalition for greenhouse gas neutrality.
"Every country, every region, every city, every company and every industry" must take part.
Taxes on CO2 emissions are needed, coal and oil should no longer be subsidized, and coal burning in industrialized countries should end by 2030.
"We see constantly rising sea levels, scorching temperatures, devastating tropical cyclones and epic forest fires," warned Guterres.
"We stand on the edge of the abyss."
On the occasion of the US climate summit, the activists of Fridays for Future are calling for global protests this Friday - including in Germany.
Under the motto “No more empty promises” (“No more empty promises”) they are calling for more commitment to climate protection.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210423-99-317712 / 4