Albert Einstein: „The problems that exist in the world cannot be solved by the level that created them.“
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Mr President, Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,
In recent years, environmental protection has been replaced by the fight against climate change. The European Union is striving to achieve zero emissions by 2050, as set out in its Green Deal. The thirteen legislative proposals entitled 'Fit for 55' go much further than what the European Union has adopted and agreed.
Yet it is only the EU, with its roughly 9% share of global CO2 production, that wants to take the drastic step of reducing its carbon footprint. However, the EU cannot achieve anything without the participation of the biggest polluters, such as China and the US, which are responsible for 27 and 15 per cent of global CO2 emissions respectively.
Despite these facts, the European Commission continues to put forward dangerous proposals, such as the proposal to ban internal combustion engines in 2035 or to introduce emission allowances for transport and individual housing. Due to inappropriate legislation and speculation, the price of emission allowances has spiralled out of control, resulting in soaring electricity prices. As a result, and in the context of rapidly rising natural gas prices, driven mostly by power games between individual states, many Europeans may be at risk of energy poverty.
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