Speeches
8. 11. 2022 18:09
Prime Minister's speech at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me express my appreciation to the Government and People of the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting this important conference.
We, the world leaders gathering here in Sharm el Sheikh, see the urgency of our response to climate change, which affects the well-being of mankind.
My country is currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. From this position, I would like to stress that we are dealing with the unprecedented aggression of Russia against Ukraine.
Besides the direct impact, it has many tragic side effects, such as energy and food crisis affecting many nations, and also huge negative effects on the environment and climate protection.
Remaining faithful to the Paris Agreement commitments, many countries in Europe are forced to temporarily use more fossil fuels than expected. They do that to have enough energy. To keep their people warm.
We understand the social and economic aspect of this situation.
The EU reacted to the war quickly and created the revolutionary RePower EU package. It is a way out of this crisis: it will reduce our dependence on Russian gas – and also on fossil fuels in general.
This is important, because we must not lose our focus on the ongoing climate change, which poses critical threats to many.
The scope of climate change requires our joint efforts. The EU climate ambition has always been very high, and even today, we stand ready to go on.
The rules of the Paris Agreement, the achievements of previous conferences, like Katowice, Madrid, and Glasgow, must be translated into concrete actions.
The Czech Republic is fully committed to the EU joint climate goals – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030 and to reach the climate neutrality by 2050.
Presiding over the EU Council, we are working on the finalization of the Fit for 55 package. It is a key legislative framework for achieving our goals. And it is completely in line with the Nationally Determined Contribution stipulated by the Paris Agreement.
Both packages – Fit for 55 and REPower EU – will help us enhance energy efficiency and speed up the clean energy transition.
Another topic brought forward under the Czech EU Presidency is the disaster risk reduction and adaptation to enhance climate security in fragile contexts.
The Prague Appeal has summarized principles and lessons learned for adaptation and reduction of loss and damage caused by climate change.
We have also repeatedly contributed to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction work on early warning and early action. The goal is simple: to prevent and minimize losses and damages caused by climate change.
The adaptation to climate change is also the cornerstone of the Czech climate policy. We are focusing on appropriate adaptation capacity while fostering our climate resilience.
My government plans to phase-out coal, focusing on renewable and nuclear energy and maximising energy efficiency and savings.
And we keep our promises: By 2020, the Czech Republic reduced greenhouse gas emission by 43 % compared to 1990, a number well beyond our commitment.
Coping with the climate change is not only about domestic measures. We also need to assist other countries and regions.
The most vulnerable developing countries need our help with strengthening their climate action and dealing with damage, and I am glad that the Czech Republic is going to have its share in the international support. In this spirit, our government decided to renew our contribution to the Green Climate Fund, into which we will be contributing 1 million EUR starting from 2024.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
To implement efficient climate policy, we need to keep building strong partnerships on all levels and across all sectors.
We need to work together on finding realistic and fair solutions that will help us overcome global climate challenges by reducing emissions, adaptation, innovation, and joint strategies.
This is our common task. We all need to take it seriously in order to provide a better future for next generations.
Thank you for your attention.
Petr Fiala, Prime Minister
