“One Minute to Twelve”, “Enough with the brutal destruction of our livelihoods.” Big speeches are being given at the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow. In any case, US President Joe Biden blames China (along with Russia, India and Saudi Arabia) for hesitant actions and unclear decisions. But unlike other heads of government, China’s current head of state Xi Jinping will not attend the meeting in Scotland.
When it comes to air pollution, Chinese authorities have now put in “a huge amount” of pressure from the new middle class, says SZ China correspondent Li Sahai. In any case, climate change “has not yet played a major role” in China. It is a “strong blow” that Xi is not in Glasgow. But it is not that it can be interpreted as exclusion. He has not left China for almost two years. However, it is clear that without China, nothing really will work at this summit. “In absolute numbers, the country is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.” And without China, the world has “hardly any chance of achieving the global climate goals”. By 2030, CO2 emissions should have peaked there. The country does not want to become climate neutral by 2060. Many expected Beijing to set its goals even higher, but “unfortunately it did not”. Rather, it uses climate policy as a trump card in international negotiations. However, China is also currently grappling with massive power and supply constraints.
Other news: States want to stop forest destruction, CDU timetable for new party leadership.
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