Obama Critical of China and Russia’s ‘Dangerous Lack of Urgency’ in Climate Change at COP26
obama
Former US President Barack Obama speaking at COP26

Former US President Barack Obama openly criticized two of the world’s largest CO2 emitting countries – Russia and China, for their “dangerous lack of urgency” in discussing the pressing matters of climate change this past week during COP26.

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to make an appearance with other global leaders at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which Obama found to be “particularly discouraging,” as he addressed a room of climate experts at the event on Monday. 

“We need advanced economies like the US and Europe leading on [the issue of climate change]. But we also need China and India, we need Russia, just as we need Indonesia and South Africa and Brazil leading on this issue. We can’t afford anybody to be on the sidelines.” 

Obama noted that while there has been some progress made in the six years since the Paris Agreement, the legally binding international treaty on climate change, the world still falls short of their commitment to limit global warming to well below 1.5 C. 

“Here in Glasgow we see the promise of further progress. What is also true is that collectively and individually, we are still falling short. We have not done nearly enough to address this crisis.” 

“We are going to have to do more and whether that happens or not to a large degree is going to depend on you,” said Obama, calling for collective action from young people and politicians alike to take climate change seriously. 

Twenty countries pledge to end public finance of international fossil fuel development

Although most nations have failed to be ambitious in their climate goals in the past week of COP26, said Obama, significant accomplishments and hard-won commitments have been made during the climate conference.  

One such commitment was for high-income countries to help low- and middle-income countries move away from fossil fuels. 

Back in September, US President Joe Biden told the UN General Assembly that the US would provide more than $11 billion in climate aid annually by 2024 to developing nations vulnerable to extreme weather and rising temperatures. 

In addition, the US and 20 other countries have pledged to stop publicly financing international fossil fuel development, with limited exceptions.  

“We will end new public direct support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022,” the declaration read

The 20 countries that signed the pledge include Denmark, Italy, Finland, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Gambia, New Zealand and the Marshall Islands, plus five development institutions including the European Investment Bank and the East African Development Bank. 

This deal does go further than a pledge made earlier in the year by the G20 to end international financing of coal-based power generation outside their own countries. 

However, this declaration does not include major Asian countries responsible for financing a majority of overseas fossil fuel projects. 

Climate change cannot be a partisan issue 

While collective action in fighting climate change requires international cooperation, Obama noted the geopolitical tensions that have arisen as a result of the pandemic, but called for the world to step up despite these tensions. 

“Climate change can’t be seen anywhere in the world as just an opportunity to score political points.”

“Saving the planet isn’t a partisan issue. Nature, physics, science, do not care about party affiliation,” he added.  

Climate change, in the US particularly, has become a partisan issue, causing what Obama referred to as a “lack of leadership on America’s part” and the “open hostility towards climate science at the very top of the [US] federal government” that resulted from former President Donald Trump’s four years in office.  

Obama also pointed out that the lack of a stable congressional majority has prevented him and current President Joe Biden from taking an even stronger stance on climate change. 

However, Obama remain sconfident that Biden’s Build Back Better Framework, which would set the US on course to meet its climate goals, would be passed in coming weeks.   

The legislation, once approved by the US Congress, would devote at least US $1.7 trillion dollars to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over a billion metric tons by the end of 2030.

Young people have more at stake in the fight against climate change  

Greta Thunberg addresses climate strikers at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado. Thunberg is one climate activist Obama praised for inspiring millions in the fight against climate change.

Though Obama noted that at times, he was “doubtful that humanity can get its act together before it’s too late”, this cynicism was countered by the prevailing efforts of young climate activists around the world. 

Addressing all the young people, who Obama said, had “more stake in this fight than anybody else,” he said: 

“I want you to stay angry. I want you to stay frustrated. Channel that anger, harness that frustration.”

“Because that’s what’s required to meet this challenge. Solving a problem this big and this important has never happened all at once.”

Image Credits: COP26, Andy Bosselman, Streetsblog Denver/Flickr.

Combat the infodemic in health information and support health policy reporting from the global South. Our growing network of journalists in Africa, Asia, Geneva and New York connect the dots between regional realities and the big global debates, with evidence-based, open access news and analysis. To make a personal or organisational contribution click here on PayPal.