Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1431464
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 NOVEMBER 2021 INTERVIEW Everyone has a part to play in the fight You have just returned from the COP26 Climate Change summit in Glasgow, where you partic- ipated as a member of thew European parliamentary dele- gation. First of all: what can you tell us about the experience? On the whole, I would say the experience was very positive; and also quite a rare opportunity, in the sense that it is not easy to be- come one of only a small number of EP delegates to attend COP26. The delegation itself wasn't very large to begin with; there was a lot of competition among MEPs, and I was honoured to be chosen among its members. It was also an incredible expe- rience, just to participate in one of the biggest international con- ferences in the world, on any given topic… but even more so, when the topic is something as important as Climate Change: an issue which I have been sepa- rately working on, also in the EP Committee on Environment and Public Health. Naturally, we went to Glasgow with very high expectations: be- cause from the outset, the Eu- ropean Union has always been at the very forefront of the fight against Climate Change. […] So our ambition, as a global leader in this challenge, was very great. I would say it reflected the aspi- rations of so many citizens - es- pecially the young - across the entire European Union. And yet, considering that we there to represent the views and ambitions of European youths… I was obviously a little disappoint- ed by the final outcome. All the same, however: despite that ini- tial disappointment, the reality is that the final outcome was actu- ally more than was originally ex- pected, from any eventual agree- ment. From that angle, one could say it was a positive outcome; in the sense that it delivered a little more than we had anticipated. But from my own perspective, and that of the European So- cial Democrats – and even the EU as a whole – we all wanted there to be more input, more agreement, and a more strong- ly-worded commitment: specifi- cally, on the issue of coal. There is no doubt that the use of coal must be phased out, eventually; but until we can reach an agree- ment of that nature, there has to be convergence between the richer countries – the ones which already have strong economies, as a result of having used coal for so many years – and developing countries, where there is still a lot of poverty. Naturally, one can understand the argument that these devel- oping countries need more assis- tance, if they are to emerge from the situation they are currently in. And it is only reasonable to expect that the EU – and other wealthy nations, such as the USA, Canada, and others – should be more forthcoming, in terms of what concrete action can be tak- en, in the coming years, to help those countries. Speaking of which: were there any specific proposals, put for- ward by the EP delegation, in this regard? As the European parliamentary delegation, our primary goal was to ensure that we reach our tar- get of Carbon Neutrality as soon as possible. As everyone knows, the official target date – for both Malta, and the EU as a whole – is 2050; and we are pleased to note that many individual EU member states have also set earlier target dates of their own. This is some- thing that is strongly encouraged at EP level. As for myself, as a member of the delegation I also pushed very hard for [an agreement on] 'Fi- nance for adaptation, loss and damage'. First of all, because we come from a very small island, in the middle of the one sea that is warming up faster than any other on the planet. In fact, the tem- perature of the Mediterranean has already risen by 1.1 degrees: which is a lot higher than the corresponding temperature in- crease, in any sea or ocean any- where else in the world. Apart from that, we also know that the Mediterranean region is currently experiencing the effects of climate change, at a rate which is 20% higher than anywhere else. So as the only MEP coming from a small island, I felt I had to emphasise the importance of addressing the financial cost of adapting to climate change, and to cover any loss or damage, as quickly as possible. This also emerges from the contributions of other delega- tions, from other parts of the world where these effects are already being felt. During the conference, we heard how oth- er island nations such as Tuva- lu, the Maldives, Antigua and Barbados, and many more, are already witnessing their own ter- ritories 'shrinking', as a result of rising sea-levels. When I spoke to prime minister of Bangladesh, for instance, he told me that his country has among the highest number of people who have been internally displaced by climate change, because large parts of the coast are already below sea-level. For this reason, I wanted to en- sure that there would be agree- ment on a clear, confirmed finan- cial package, regarding exactly how much assistance each coun- try could expect to cover any loss and damage. On other lev- Fresh from the COP26 conference in Glasgow, MEP CYRUS ENGERER admits to being 'disappointed' by the final outcome. Nonetheless, he is confident that the agreement marks an important step in the global fight against climate change Nicole Meilak nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt