Barack Obama |
During his speech at COP26 on Monday, November 8, Barack Obama lamented America’s partisan divide on the issue of climate change. | Source: Getty Images

During his speech at COP26 in Glasgow, former US President Barack Obama said climate change should not be a partisan issue.

In a speech in which he spoke about his legacy, the role of the United States in climate leadership and young activists in climate action, Barack Obama He also touched on the issue of the current political division in the United States.

“American hostility to weather It seems more active than anywhere else in the world. It must stop. The former US president declared that saving the planet is not a partisan issue, adding that “climate change cannot be seen as a way to score points politically.”

without naming his successor directly Donald Trump nor the Republican Party, Barack Obama They lamented their “active hostility” to climate science. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida home is flooded due to rising water, if your crops are bad in Dakota, or if your home in California is on fire. Science doesn’t care about party membership.”

Earlier today, the former US President spoke to a panel discussion on “Partnerships for Island Resilience: Sharing Solutions in Large Ocean Nations.” Barack Obama He noted the many political hurdles in the fight against climate change: “It can sometimes be felt that the United States does not always move as quickly or does not live up to its commitments as much as we would like. It is not for lack of trying, but democracy is unique in that it turns out that you don’t always get what you want. “.

Barack Obama: We cannot despair. On the contrary, we will need to combine the will, passion and activism of citizens to push governments to meet this challenge.”

Barack Obama confirmed his presence at COP26 on November 4, but details of his commitments were not announced until the evening of November 7. The long line that formed outside the hall where Barack Obama spoke and the thunderous applause and cheers that followed are evidence of the enthusiasm of the former US president, who was the first to commit his country to respecting the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.

At the beginning of his speech, Barack Obama He belittled his attitude with joking : “I’m a normal citizen now, so trips like this are a little different than they were before. I’m not invited to the group photo, traffic jams are a reality again, and the music no longer plays when I enter the room. On the other hand, I can throw Speech like that without a tie and not creating a scandal at home, I hope so.”

The former US president lamented that he did no more to tackle climate change when he was in power, due to the lack of a strong majority in the US Congress for most of his presidency. According to Barack Obama, this situation is also affecting the president’s efforts Joe Biden To pass major legislation in favor of the environmental transformation of the United States. The former US president is still confident of adopting a version of the plan Rebuild better by Congress in the coming weeks. On the other hand, Barack Obama Emphasize the need for citizens involved in climate action, especially young people, to exercise their right to vote. “Crynic is the refuge of cowards. We cannot afford to despair. On the contrary, we will have to combine the will, passion and activism of citizens to push governments to meet this challenge,” declared Barack Obama.

“Vote like your life depends on it, because it does. We won’t have more ambitious climate plans from governments unless voters put some pressure on them,” the former US president added.

We speak specifically to young people who are fighting for the climate, Barack Obama Advise them to listen to the concerns of those who fear the repercussions of the energy transition on their livelihoods. “We must understand their reality and work with them so that serious work on climate change does not have negative repercussions for them,” the former US president said. Any climate plan worthy of the name must take these inequalities into account. “

Article translated from the American Forbes magazine – Author: Sophia Lotto Persio

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