Canada's environment minister fended off accusations Friday that UN climate negotiators are resorting to “weasel words” on addressing fossil fuel subsidies.
As United Nations negotiators wrestled over a final text in the closing hours of the Glasgow climate talks, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault reiterated the Canadian view that subsidies should be phased out.
“This language 'unabated coal,' 'inefficient fossil fuel subsidies' - we've seen it before. We've seen it in the G20 for 12 years - 'inefficient fossil fuel subsidies' - it means nothing.” Abreu called for “some decent language” in the final COP26 declaration to address the need to move more quickly towards a transition to renewable energy.
“Someone earlier this week said, 'Oh, my goodness, there's nothing in the text about fossil fuel subsidies.' And then we saw yesterday a version where there was language,” said Guilbeault. “There's another version today.” Guilbeault touted the backing of his American counterpart, John Kerry, who denounced the continued subsidies as the “definition of insanity.”
Guilbeault plans to travel by train across Canada in early 2022 to meet Canadians and discuss ways to implement the Trudeau government's environmental agenda.
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