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[webfact]

France, Germany urge more action on climate after Trump quits

By Markus Wacket and Nina Chestney

 

The leaders of France and Germany say Europe and individual American states need to fill the gap left by U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. 

 

BONN, Germany (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and France promised to limit the use of coal on Wednesday and urged more global action to combat global warming after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Paris agreement.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Emmanuel Macron said the pact was only a start to reining in a rise in global temperatures, blamed for stoking more heat waves, floods and rising sea levels, and needed to be toughened.

 

"Climate change is by far the most significant struggle of our times," Merkel told delegates from nearly 200 nations attending a Nov. 6-17 meeting in Bonn on ways of bolstering the Paris accord that aims to end the fossil fuel era this century.

 

Merkel said Germany needed to reduce its dependence on coal power in order to significantly cut emissions.

 

Merkel's conservatives are seeking to form a new coalition government that includes the ecologist Greens, who are demanding steep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020.

 

    "We know that Germany still uses coal to a large extent and coal, especially brown coal, should make a contribution to meet our (emissions reduction) goals," Merkel said.

 

Macron said France aimed to close down all coal-fired power plants by 2021 as part of action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Macron, who will host a summit in Paris on Dec. 12 about climate finance, said France would make up for a shortfall in U.S.

funding for the climate science research by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

 

"They will not miss a single euro," he said to applause. U.S. contributions to the IPCC budget have been about 2 million euros (£1.79 million) a year in recent years.

 

Trump, who doubts climate change is primarily caused by man-made emissions, said in June that he would pull out of the Paris Agreement and instead promote the coal and fossil fuel industries.

 

Merkel praised an alliance of U.S. states, cities and companies called "America's Pledge" to compensate for Trump's decision.

"I welcome this as it highlights the importance of climate protection in large parts of the U.S. regardless of the decision by President Trump to leave the Paris accord," she said.

 

Some environmental groups expressed disappointment that Merkel did not set a date for phasing out coal, saying greenhouse gas emissions were harming vulnerable people around the world.

 

"She needed to come to Bonn and show she had heard the suffering of the people of the Pacific and around the world ... She did not deliver this," said Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace.

 

In the coalition talks, the Greens are holding out for carbon dioxide emissions cuts totalling 120 million tonnes that would require the closure of 20 coal plants.

 

Merkel's conservatives and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) - the third partner in the coalition talks - want cuts of up to 66 million tonnes.

 

Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told delegates in Bonn that governments should put a price on carbon emissions and stop making bad bets on fossil fuels.

 

"Growing carbon markets in Europe and North America, and China's expected announcement of one of the world's largest emissions trading systems, are a good sign," he said.

 

"But to meet the Paris goals we need at least 50 per cent global coverage and a higher price on carbon to drive large-scale climate action," Guterres said.  

 

(Additional reporting by Joseph Nasr; Writing by Alister Doyle; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-16

[BuaBS]

35 minutes ago, webfact said:

Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told delegates in Bonn that governments should put a price on carbon emissions and stop making bad bets on fossil fuels.

It's all about money.

[RickBradford]

Quote

"Climate change is by far the most significant struggle of our times," Merkel told delegates

This is the perfect political statement - it sounds good. means nothing, and lets the politician appear noble and caring.

 

That's why it has been spouted, in various forms, by every Western politician in recent times (with one exception). Obama said it, Tony Blair said it, Kevin Rudd said it, Gordon Brown said it, even that renowned expert Bob Geldof said it. Not to mention all the useless UN bureaucrats and NGOs, whose jobs depend on saying it, plus more experts like Leonardo di Caprio and Bianca Jagger.

 

What they all fail to mention is that, while they do nothing, one country has curbed its CO2 emissions so effectively by free-market methods that they were lower in 2016 than they were in 1991. That country is the US.

[phantomfiddler]

Everyone should do their bit and leave their refrigerator door open for a few minutes every day, selfish to keep all that cold locked up !

[ToS2014]

So I may be a skeptic of climate change, but for the higher educated, how on earth do you weigh emissions; further, separating those different gases and just weigh the carbon emissions? (reference....."carbon dioxide emissions cuts totalling 120 million tonnes...."  It's a farce to me, but would have been an outstanding investment a few years back

[Grouse]

Dear god, who let the flat earth brigade out? They'll be quoting Noah next!

 

Speaking as as a scientist and engineer, I'm telling you to sit up and take notice

 

Germany should replace lignite power plants with nuclear. Now.

[FreddieRoyle]

Sensible people will start taking this "climate change" fiasco seriously when the leaders of France and Germany(and Leo DiCaprio,Brangelina et al)  stop travelling around in a private wide-body jet. Just one of their trips causes more CO2 emissions than a mid sized English town emits in a whole year. Proof in itself that the whole thing is one big hoax. Not to mention the lifestyles of these leaders with their fleets of vehicles, multiple mansions kept climate controlled year round - oh why bother it's just too ridiculous to even contemplate

[Grouse]

18 minutes ago, ToS2014 said:

So I may be a skeptic of climate change, but for the higher educated, how on earth do you weigh emissions; further, separating those different gases and just weigh the carbon emissions? (reference....."carbon dioxide emissions cuts totalling 120 million tonnes...."  It's a farce to me, but would have been an outstanding investment a few years back

Are you being factious or do you really want to know? Do you know what a mole is? 

 

(This will be illuminating)

 

Ever heard of Avagadro? Lavoisier?

Edited November 16, 2017 by Grouse

[FreddieRoyle]

9 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Dear god, who let the flat earth brigade out? They'll be quoting Noah next!

 

Speaking as as a scientist and engineer, I'm telling you to sit up and take notice

 

Germany should replace lignite power plants with nuclear. Now.

Speaking as a social anthropologist, you might not have noticed, but Germany has had a seismic demographic shift in the last few years. Who exactly is going to be working at this nuclear power station? And is a bombed nuclear power station good for the climate or bad ? Is this a risk worth taking in the name of the environment? One big can of worms, but I would suggest fossil fuels are by far the best option for Europe, with the possible exception of Poland and Hungary, and that will not change any time soon.

Edited November 16, 2017 by FreddieRoyle

[GarryP]

8 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Are you being factious or do you really want to know? Do you know what a mole is? 

 

(This will be illuminating)

 

Ever heard of Avagadro? Lavoisier?

Here you go.

Edited November 16, 2017 by GarryP

[Grouse]

9 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Sensible people will start taking this "climate change" fiasco seriously when the leaders of France and Germany(and Leo DiCaprio,Brangelina et al)  stop travelling around in a private wide-body jet. Just one of their trips causes more CO2 emissions than a mid sized English town emits in a whole year. Proof in itself that the whole thing is one big hoax. Not to mention the lifestyles of these leaders with their fleets of vehicles, multiple mansions kept climate controlled year round - oh why bother it's just too ridiculous to even contemplate

Well, sort off

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/the-biggest-carbon-sin-air-travel.html

 

Air travel contributes about 5% and carbon credits would be a useful way to mitigate this. If you fly, invest in forests. I'm not joking!

[Grouse]

8 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

Speaking as a social anthropologist, you might not have noticed, but Germany has had a seismic demographic shift in the last few years. Who exactly is going to be working at this nuclear power station? And is a bombed nuclear power station good for the climate or bad ? Is this a risk worth taking in the name of the environment? One big can of worms, but I would suggest fossil fuels are by far the best option for Europe, with the possible exception of Poland and Hungary, and that will not change any time soon.

Statistics not your thing?

 

How about modern nuclear power plant design?

 

As always, ignorance will be the death of us all!

6 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Here you go.

Eureka! What did I tell you!

 

Avagadro - great likeness!

[KBsinter]

The Iceland Volcano defeated all the worlds efforts, and set it back 10yrs,so all the control

 

 

 

the world had fought for wiped out with this volcano eruption, although this was one of the worst the world had fought for wiped out with this volcano eruption, although this was one of the worst 

[KBsinter]

sorry have a problem everytime I hit ENTER it go"s haywire...............

[craigt3365]

Best of luck to them.  Action is desperately needed.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/14/health/scientists-warn-humanity/index.html

16,000 scientists sign dire warning to humanity over health of planet

 

In 1992, 1,700 independent scientists signed the "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity." The letter warned that "human beings and the natural world are on a collision course" and if environmental damage was not stopped, our future was at risk.