In Strasbourg, during a plenary session of the European Parliament, a debate was held on the outcomes of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku from November 11–22, and the challenges facing international climate policy. PiS MEP Anna Zalewska, who attended the summit, took part in the discussion.
“The truth is that the agreement reached at the COP29 climate summit was hard-fought and is superficial and wishful thinking,” said Anna Zalewska. She pointed out that although the summit agreed to provide $300 billion annually from wealthier countries to combat climate change in “developing” nations, this was done without any concrete guidelines and with very little involvement from the United States. She also noted that the U.S. has announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
The MEP drew attention to the highly contentious issue of wealthy and developed countries that are still defined as “developing” countries on the UN list. “And they don’t want to be called anything else so they can continue to be exempt from fees,” she said, citing China as an example.
The PiS MEP reported that the European Union’s ambitious plans were rejected at the conference in the capital of Azerbaijan. “Most countries simply said: you can pursue your ambitions, but we won’t allow you to destroy our economies,” she reported. She added that “in reality, behind the scenes, everyone was walking around with Draghi’s report, showing what green policies and unachievable ambitions have led to.” Anna Zalewska also noted that, for the first time, the conclusions of the COP29 conference make no explicit mention of phasing out fossil fuels. “It’s time to reevaluate the European Union’s Green Deal, because it’s leading to economic collapse and financial disaster for Europeans,” the Polish politician urged.
