Greenpeace chief warns of 'greenwashing' at UN climate talks

3 years ago 229

BERLIN – The caput of biology radical Greenpeace connected Thursday warned against efforts by countries and corporations astatine the forthcoming U.N. clime talks successful Glasgow to “greenwash” their ongoing contamination of the planet.

The acme hosted by Britain has been described arsenic “ the world’s past champion chance ” to forestall planetary warming from reaching unsafe levels, and is expected to spot a flurry of caller commitments from governments and businesses to trim their emissions of greenhouse gases.

But clime campaigners accidental behind-the-scenes lobbying earlier the acme could hamper efforts to execute an ambitious woody that would guarantee the satellite stands a accidental of capping planetary warming astatine 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) arsenic agreed successful Paris successful 2015.

“This Glasgow gathering truly is simply a captious infinitesimal wherever governments request to beryllium courageous,” said Jennifer Morgan, the enforcement manager of Greenpeace International.

“They request to amusement they’ve understood the science, perceive to their radical and spell overmuch further than they’ve been stating frankincense far," she told The Associated Press successful an interview.

By doing so, governments would "give that benignant of anticipation and assurance to their radical that they got this and that they’re consenting to bash things that their firm interests don’t privation them to do,” she added.

Morgan pointed to leaked documents showing however countries specified arsenic Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia are seemingly trying to h2o down an upcoming U.N. subject sheet study connected planetary warming arsenic grounds of the mode successful which immoderate governments’ nationalist enactment for clime enactment is undermined by their efforts down closed doors.

Documents obtained by Greenpeace bespeak however those countries wanted the Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change to region references to the request to unopen down coal-fired powerfulness stations, trim nutrient depletion and absorption connected existent emissions cuts alternatively than ways to seizure c already released into the atmosphere.

A spokesperson for the IPCC’s secretariat successful Geneva downplayed the interaction specified lobbying efforts person connected the panel's last reports.

“Review by governments and experts is simply a cardinal portion of the IPCC process for preparing reports,” said the spokesman, Jonathan Lynn. “The IPCC principles are designed to guarantee that this reappraisal contributes to a comprehensive, balanced and nonsubjective appraisal successful an unfastened and transparent way.”

Australian Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor’s bureau said successful a connection that to asseverate Australia “commenting connected a draught is someway ‘interference’ is categorically false.”

All comments received by the IPCC are published with their reports arsenic they are finalized.

“This ensures implicit transparency,” the connection said.

Greenpeace's Morgan said overmuch of the lobbying is driven by corporations, immoderate of which volition besides beryllium astatine the alleged COP26 talks — including arsenic portion of authorities delegations.

“They’ll effort and usage this COP to amusement that they care, that they are truly doing a lot,” said Morgan. “There’ll beryllium a large greenwashing effort successful Glasgow that needs to beryllium called retired and recognized.”

Governments, too, are apt to usage the U.N. talks to denote caller clime measures, adjacent arsenic they lobby against others, she said.

“If you look astatine what they’re doing to effort and clasp backmost the satellite from moving forward, it’s stunning,” she said. “It’s immoral, it’s unacceptable.”

Greenpeace and different biology run groups person been captious of a question of announcements by countries and manufacture groups, ranging from airlines to shipping firms, to purpose for ‘net zero’ emissions. Rather than chopped greenhouse state emissions to nil, those aiming for nett zero pledge to merchandise lone arsenic overmuch c dioxide oregon different pollutants into the ambiance by a definite day arsenic tin beryllium captured again.

The math astir nett zero is murky and activists accidental if it’s not scientifically rigorous that people risks detracting from the effort to chopped emissions arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

“(Some companies) privation to proceed what they’re doing, but they privation to wage conscionable to works trees determination else,” said Morgan. “That is not the solution to the quality and biodiversity crisis.”

She cited a recent study by the International Energy Agency which concluded that determination tin beryllium nary much caller ember mines oregon lipid and state wells if the Paris extremity is to beryllium achieved. Yet past week, a abstracted U.N.-backed study recovered that adjacent existent fossil substance accumulation plans for the coming decennary would effect successful implicit doubly the emissions allowed for the satellite to support a accidental of gathering the Paris goals.

Morgan said the spotlight being enactment connected the talks successful Glasgow and immoderate parties' efforts to bloc agreements connected delicate issues could embolden those countries that privation an ambitious deal.

“They person to beryllium acceptable to move, spell beyond their comfortableness zones and travel unneurotic due to the fact that you tin spot the level of absorption that’s coming successful astatine them," she said.

A radical of 9 nations, including Costa Rica, Sweden and the Marshall Islands, connected Thursday called for countries that haven’t yet done truthful to update their clime targets up of the Oct. 31-Nov. 12 talks successful Glasgow. They besides backed a long-standing request from mediocre nations for affluent countries to marque bully connected their pledge of providing $100 cardinal successful assistance each twelvemonth to tackle clime change.

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Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten successful Geneva and Rod McGuirk successful Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's clime sum astatine http://apnews.com/hub/climate

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