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COP26: “A step in the right direction” was seen by Ursula von der Layen

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen considered that the agreement on climate change that achieved at COP26 in Glasgow constitutes “Step in the right direction” but stressed that “The work is anything but completed”.

Von der Layen judged that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius remains “achievable”, with a statement that was published late yesterday.

In a statement issued earlier, the European Commission said the “Glasgow Agreement” “kept alive the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement”, which provide for reducing global warming below 2 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels. if possible at 1.5 degrees.

“We have made progress on the three objectives we set at the beginning of COP26”, said Ursula von der Leyen. “First, to have commitments to reduce emissions in order to make it possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Second, meet the $ 100 billion-a-year funding target for climate change in developing and vulnerable countries. “Finally, to reach an agreement on the framework of the rules of the Paris Agreement,” she said.

“If all the long-term commitments announced in Glasgow are implemented, we expect to be able to reduce global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. “So we have to work further again, in order for the climate conference next year in Egypt to put us firmly on the path to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” she added.

Von der Leyen reiterated the EU’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for the “European Green Pact” and EU negotiator in Glasgow, said the compromise “strikes a balance between the interests of all parties and allows us to act as urgently as necessary. our survival “.

The agreement “can bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren,” he said.

For his part, the American envoy for Climate John Kerry talked about a “Good negotiation”.

“If it is a good negotiation, all sides are in an awkward position,” Kerry said at the final meeting to approve the agreement. “And that, I think, was a good deal.”

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