Deadly blow to the North Pole: US does not want to sign climate change deal – 05/07/2019

For the first time in two decades, the Arctic Council countries meeting in Rovaniemi (Finland), failed to write their traditional final declaration. According to some delegates, this was due to the US refusal to refer to climate change.

Look also

Clarin Bulletins

What happened today? We tell you the most important news of the day and what will happen tomorrow when you get up

Monday to Friday afternoon.

The indigenous peoples represented in the body, the main victims of climate change, who are changing their ancestral ways of life, have criticized this failure.

At the end of the eleventh ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council, the usual final common statement was: replaced by a text – shorter and of lesser symbolic weight– signed by all the ministers of the eight Member States. No reference has been made to climate change in this document.

"I do not want to accuse anyone," said Timo Soini, head of Finnish diplomacy, at a press conference. "But, of course, it is clear that the climate problems are different depending on the point of view of each country," he added.

Several delegates confirmed to AFP that the lack of a joint declaration was directly related to the rejection of the United States include climate in the final document.

Look also

In the text that could be agreed upon, of just 25 lines, the eight ministers pledge to "maintain peace, stability and constructive cooperation in the Arctic" and to safeguarding "sustainable development and protection of the environment" of the region.

In another text of the Finnish presidency, Soini noted that "a majority of us we view climate change as a fundamental challenge for the Arctic"A wording that illustrates the lack of consensus, unusual in the institution.

This majority – the composition of which has not been specified – has "welcomed" the work program for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, to which the United States has agreed. intent to withdraw, at the initiative of its chairman Donald Trump.

This is the first time since its establishment in 1996 that the Arctic Council has failed to issue a biennial final declaration at the conclusion of its ministerial meetings.

Organizations that represent the Indigenous peoples within the body expressed their unanimous concern.

"It is attacking our culture and our way of life, the animals, birds and fish that our survival depends on are increasingly under pressure, and we are concerned about our food security," he said. James Stotts of the Inuit Circumpolar Council. .

"The time has come to clarify things: climate change exists and humans are the first to blame"He said" We think the time has come to stop fighting "on this issue.

Look also

The Arctic Council, which includes the United States, Russia, Canada and the five Nordic states (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland), He is generally considered a model, in which intergovernmental cooperation takes precedence over competition.

Pompeo, against collective agreements

"Collective goals, even if they are well-intentioned, are not always the solution," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his speech.

"From the moment a country does not agree with them, they are meaningless and can even become counterproductive," he said.

In a speech on Monday on the eve of a ministerial meeting, Pompeo has severely attacked China and Russia.

Criticizing "the aggressive attitude" of Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic, he accused them of trying to take advantage of the abundant natural resources and economic opportunities in the region.

However, the US official did not say once the words "climate change" Although, according to scientists, global warming is growing twice as fast in this region as in the rest of the world.

"The Trump administration should be more concerned about the looming threat it is putting on Americans because of its lack of action in the climate field than by Chinese and Russian ambitions," he said. said Victoria Herrmann, president of the Arctic Institute, a research center. American non-governmental.

Sentences in the United States

In addition to the opposition registered among the other Arctic Council member countries, there was also other voices who have criticized the intransigence of the United States and his position on climate change.

Look also

In an editorial published in the British newspaper The Guardian, it is stressed that the region is one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world and warns that the temperature will increase by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius in the region in the middle of the day. The 21st century seems inevitable.

"The intensification of competition among the great powers of the Arctic region is diverting attention from other more urgent global issues." Members of the Arctic Council should take a stand, ask the United States to recognize the dangers … or to get away from everything. this. "

Source: AFP, Telam, The Guardian and The Washington Post