Barack Obama criticizes Russia and China because their plans on climate change “lack the necessary urgency”

Former US President Barack Obama criticized China and Russia, two of the largest carbon emitters, at the Glasgow climate summit on Monday for the “dangerous lack of urgency” in their plans to act against climate change.

“I have to confess that it was particularly disappointing to see the leaders of two of the world’s top emitting countries, China and Russia, decline to even attend the negotiations. And their national plans, so far, seem to reflect a dangerous lack of urgency, “Obama said in his speech at COP26.

The former president called on “advanced economies such as the United States and the European Union” to lead the fight, but alongside them should be others such as China and India, as well as Russia, Indonesia, South Africa and Brazil.

For Obama, most countries “are not being as ambitious as they should be” in their climate goals.

After criticizing the balance sheet of his successor in the White House, Donald Trump, a period in which progress against global warming “stalled” in the US, he addressed young people around the world, who in his opinion they provide “the most important energy in this movement.”

“The harsh reality is that we will not have more ambitious plans from governments that they feel the pressure that comes from their voters,” he added.

Obama’s charisma, already without the weight of power

When the climate summit enters its final stretch and the venue is filled with ministers and bureaucrats who will refine the details of an important, complex and leaden negotiation, the spotlights have pointed to a character without effective power but with an unequaled magnetism : Barack Obama.

“I’m a private citizen now, so trips like this are a bit different: I’m not invited to the family photo, traffic is a problem again, and no music plays when I enter the room. But I can give speeches like this without a tie and not create a scandal at home, ”the 44th president of the United States began, with his shirt collar unbuttoned.

Obama arrived in Scotland almost by surprise, without a nuclear suitcase or hotline, but with the baggage of having been the president of the United States when the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015, and with a charisma that is difficult to find on the current political scene.

He was introduced to Sheila Babauta, an activist from the Pacific Mariana Islands and a member of the Obama Foundation. And the former president raised the audience to his feet upon entering, closer to a rock star than a political official. Without reading a piece of paper, for an hour, he delivered a speech without novel announcements but with punch, six years after his speech at the Paris climate summit, which reminded him that “it must be the beginning, not the end.”

“Significant progress has been made,” said Obama, reviewing some of the progress made since then and, in particular, during COP26, such as commitments to reduce methane emissions, curb deforestation, or stop investing in certain infrastructure of the fossil fuels.

“It is also true that collectively and individually, we still fall short. We have not done anywhere near what we have to do, ”he said.

Without mentioning him (“my successor”), Obama criticized Republican Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement (“I was not very funny about that”), a resolution amended by the current White House tenant, the Democrat Joe Biden.

The political part of his speech was directed, above all, towards the domestic audience, highlighting the difficulties of Joe Biden to pass laws that allow him to fulfill his promise to reduce CO2 emissions by half by 2030 compared to 2005.

Called to action

The second part of his speech took on a more human turn. He spoke as the father of “two twentysomethings” because “the most important energy in this movement comes from young people.” And he marked the change of third with a long pause that was filled with applause.

“I admit that I do not have all the answers (…), that sometimes I am discouraged, that I doubt that humanity can act together before it is too late (…). Dystopian images creep into my dreams, ”he said.

The former president recognized the right of young people “to be frustrated” because the elderly “have not done enough to deal with the potentially cataclysmic problem” that now falls on the youngest. And it launched four well-defined messages.

First, he called on young people to get involved in politics: “Vote as if your life depended on it, because it depends on it,” he said; later he exhorted them to put pressure on “companies to do the right thing”; then, he asked them to educate their elders, because they love them and they will listen to them; and finally, he advised them to listen instead of just shouting, protesting, pointing and tweeting, which is “necessary to raise awareness, but not enough.”

“It will not be enough to preach for the faithful (…). To build the broad coalitions that are needed “you have to” persuade people who currently disagree with us or who are indifferent about the problem. And to change the minds of those fellow citizens in our countries, we have to listen more ”, he recommended.

“We have to convince the guy that he has to drive to the factory every day, that he can’t afford a Tesla and that he might not be able to pay the rent or feed his family if gas prices go up”, to the Indian mother who “ she fears floods ”but also wants“ her children to have electricity to do their homework at night, ”he said.

Finally, this Monday’s star at COP26 recalled that climate action “is a marathon, not a sprint.”

“Our planet is hurt by our actions. Those wounds are not going to heal today, tomorrow or the day after. But they can be cured (…). I’m ready for the long-distance race if you guys are too. So, let’s go to work ”, concluded Barack Obama. (I)