Climate Diplomacy Day: French, British and German ambassadors meet at Bucharest

Reducing risks due to climate change through making a transition to a global economy that will rely on reduced carbon emissions represents a huge opportunity for the innovation sector and creation of new jobs, shows an article signed by the French, British and German ambassadors in Bucharest together, on the occasion of the Climate Diplomacy Day.

2015-06-18 11:43:31

According to the article, 80 per cent of the entire energy production capacity Germany over the last decade came from renewable resources, with a new business sector being thus created and 380,000 new jobs. At the same time, in France, the new law regarding the energy transition and green economic growth is likely to contribute to the creation of more than 100,000 jobs in the next three years. As with respect to the UK, the same article reminded it was the first country that ever set up a green investment bank, meant to attract investments from the private sector in the renewable energy field.

Thus, the transition to a global economy with a reduced carbon footprint has a positive impact on states: new jobs, cleaner air, better health, lower poverty and more energy safety, believe the three diplomats.

The ambassadors say that forests from around the globe play a crucial role in the fight against climate changes, given that the deforestation and forest degradation phenomenon generates up to 15-20 per cent of the global greenhouse emissions, according to UN searches.

Up to 60 per cent of the virgin forests specific to the temperate climate in Europe are located in Romania. At the same time, statistics show that three hectares of forests are cut in Romania every hour (...) Climate change and its causes are not a myth and we already see their impact all over the world. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or gas, in order to cover our energy needs increases the level of greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere. This already affects the environment, the economy and the way people live,′ said the article of the three ambassadors.

Because of the warmer climate, the water demand for irrigation will also grow. Moreover, some regions will be affected by increasingly frequent floods and also by more frequent heat waves, storms, as well as by an increase in the sea level. However, the higher risk to our security will be indirectly felt when the price for food start to grow and, on the long term, when we are faced with an acute water and food shortage. The same as in the case of many other countries, Romania was affected by significant floods in the recent years, which caused enormous damages (...) "If we react now, we can still maintain the level of global warming below two degrees Celsius. The European Union members already have a good example to give, in the context in which greenhouse emissions on our continent have decreased by 19 per cent since 1990. Moreover, the European Union last year accepted a drop by at least 40 per cent in the domestic emissions by 2030, compared with the level in 1990," reads an article signed by the abovementioned ambassadors.

In their opinion, the damaging impact of climate changes can be controlled and these changes can be limited if we use energy more efficiently, if we use reduced carbon footprint energy sources and stop deforestations.