Debate: Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Date: MONDAY, 4 APRIL 2022
Speaker: Frans Timmermans
Language: EN

And I would like to echo the call she just made that we should pass from words to actions now. That we should quickly move to tighten the sanctions, do everything materially, morally, politically, economically to support a nation that is fighting for its very survival. In the last days, we’ve seen the level of atrocity committed by Putin’s troops. We’ve seen the declarations again today in Moscow, even foreshadowing the chance, the possibility of genocide. There is no bigger task of us than to support the Ukrainians in this struggle, which is also our struggle. This peaceful nation has been invaded. But it’s not just an attack on them, it’s an attack on all of us, our values, our way of life, our security, and also on the momentous task we face. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that was presented today, again demonstrates how big the challenges humanity’s facing. IPCC, based on science, again points to the fact that we need to do more if we want to achieve the goal of keeping the rise of the temperature well below 2 degrees and hopefully on 1.5 degrees. We we’re not there by a long stretch. That’s the bad news. The good news is, however, that if we change our policies, if we up the ante, if we do more, we can reverse the trend. That’s also what the IPCC report says that was just published. So I believe that this Parliament, this Commission and the Council are under a political and moral responsibility to act as fast as we can. On Fit for 55, on the Green Deal, on Farm to Fork, and all the projects we have put on the table to get where we need to be. And this is because even with everything we’ve put on the table, one cannot exclude, if you read the IPCC report, that we might be called to do even more in the months and years to come. And we should be clear on this message. And the war in Ukraine has only increased our sense of urgency because now nobody can find an excuse, in my view, to not speed up the end of the overuse of fossil fuels, to not speed up Europe’s stronger reliance on its own energy production, which has to be solar, wind, biogas, geothermal, if we have it.  But we cannot continue to import massive amounts of fossil fuels for political reasons. We cannot be in a position to be blackmailed, but especially also because that’s the only way we can fulfil the pledges we’ve made in Fit for 55. That’s the only way we’ll get to a reduction of at least 55% by 2030 of our emissions. And this is the only way we have a shot at climate neutrality in 2050. Now, the other reason why I believe we should stick to our plans and perhaps even revisit them, is that the only way we can convince others in the world to do more, who need to do much more than we do, that’s also crystal clear in the IPCC report, is if we show the way how it can be done. And please, I plead with all of you to help me counter those who say, ‘as long as others don’t do more, we shouldn’t be doing more’. It is clear that we’re the only continent with a comprehensive plan to get us where we need to be. And only through comprehensive plans can other countries, other continents get where they need to be. And by leading the way, Europe can help them get there. By leading the way, we can do what the positive, what the optimistic part of the IPCC report says, namely, change the trend and give humanity a shot at survival.