Italy is helping fight
selfishness on climate change, Premier Matteo Renzi said at the
United Nations conference on climate change, COP21, on Monday in
Paris.
Announcing that four billion euros to fight climate change
would be in Italy's 2016 budget bill, the Italian premier called
for a binding COP21 deal, saying that anything else would be
"written in sand" and worthless.
"There is a challenge that concerns all of us, the future
of the planet," Renzi said.
"Without useless alarmism we must realise we are at a
crossroads.
"Italy wants to be among the protagonists of the fight
against selfishness, on the side of those who choose
non-negotiable values like the defence of our mother Earth."
Renzi said that Italy has been proactive and done more than
it is sometimes given credit for on climate change.
"We have to get away from the rhetoric that Italy doesn't
do enough," the premier said as the international conference of
147 world leaders kicked off in Paris.
"It has cut emissions by 23% since 1990, it has a
$4-billion investment plan from now till 2020, our firms are on
the front line, from ENI to ENEL. Italy has a lot to say and do
in this sector," he said.
Reaching an international accord, he said, however, won't
be easy.
"There were moments of heated debate over lunch," he said.
"It won't be easy to reach an accord, but it is crucial
that we do. Italy is doing its bit but the real problem is that
not everyone is behaving in the same way on a global level."
He said "we must make an effort to help others reach these
results", pointing to the biggest polluters like the United
States, China and India and saying that Europe only accounts for
some 10% of emissions.
"We need an investment that doesn't just come from Italy and
Europe", said the Italian premier.
Renzi added "the most binding accord possible (is needed),
otherwise it risks being written in the sand".
Addressing the plenary session of he conference, Renzi said
that "now is the time to act" on climate change.
He said "we are called to map out the future of the world".
Renzi said Italy had put four billion euros on climate
change "from here to 2020" in the 2016 budget bill.
The Italian premier told the conference that "a political
vision is needed" on climate change.
He said "for us, as Italy, it is a priority to highlight
the importance of small islands, small insular States and the
Balkans we are working on.
"The question is financial and economic, we are doing our
bit, but above all it is political".
Italy has the world's highest rate of solar power energy,
Renzi told the conference.
"I bring you the voice of a country (...) with the proper
credentials, from the green economy to geothermal energy," Renzi
said.
"We are the first country in the world in terms of solar
power use in the national energy mix - at 8%".
Renzi repeated that lawmakers are being called on to
design the future of the world.
"There is no greater symbol than nature," he said.
"(Ancient Roman statesman and philosopher) Seneca said all
art is an imitation of nature. Politicians are being called on
to create a masterpiece - to design the setting in which our
children will live. Nature must be defended and we ourselves
must defend it".
The centre-left premier added his government is not worried
about Italy's GDP in the wake of the November 13 Islamist terror
attacks in Paris.
"Italy's GDP will grow, not shrink," he said. "We have no
fears on Italian GDP...however we are very concerned about the
planet".
Also on Monday, Renzi met with British Prime Minister David
Cameron in a bilateral meeting on the fringes of the conference,
focusing on the anti-terror fight.
As COP21 opened, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
world leaders must find a way to contain the Earth's rising
temperature to under two degrees, and that a binding climate
accord is necessary to "guarantee peace and international
security".
"The world's future is in your hands," added Ban, calling
on the leaders present to show vision and courage.
"Let's change the future," said US President Barack Obama.
The talks began with a moment of silence for victims of the
November 13 terror attacks in Paris, and the tragedy served as a
touchstone for world leaders urging unity and action.
"What greater rejection of those who would tear down our
world than marshaling our best efforts to save it," President
Obama said in his speech.
French President Francois Hollande noted that "never have
the stakes been so high because this is about the future of the
planet, the future of life."
"And yet two weeks ago, here in Paris itself, a group of
fanatics was sowing the seeds of death in the streets," he said.
Earlier Monday, it emerged that Italy is the European
Union country worst-affected by air pollution-related deaths,
according to a report from the European Environment Agency
(EEA).
It estimated that there were 84,400 deaths of this type in
Italy in 2012 out of total 491,000 for the whole EU. It said
59,500 premature deaths in Italy that year were attributable to
fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure, 3,300 to ozone (O3)
and 21,600 to nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
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