Áder expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Paris Agreement and called for action to prevent the process from slowing down.

He noted California Governor Jerry Brown’s Under 2 movement, supported by states, provinces or cities representing as many as 1.3 billion people, saying their commitment to reducing emissions by 80-95% could bring about significant results.

Áder insisted that the US decision to quit the Paris Agreement would not disable its goals. “Apart from California, 17 other states think that we must proceed and increase commitments.”

Áder met Nicholas Stern, former economist of the World Bank, and quoted him as saying that using modern technologies to avoid climate change could bring about “a new industrial revolution” and put the economies of countries tapping that opportunity on a growth path.

He said that climate change was happening faster than Stern earlier assumed, but the development of technology had also sped up in the past decade, noting that the price of solar panels has fallen by 90%, making solar energy much cheaper than earlier expected. According to Stern, making use of 1.0- 1.5% of GDP would be sufficient to stop climate change, Áder said.

Áder had talks with Jerry Brown, and noted afterwards California’s commitment to completely eliminating its industrial and transport emissions by 2045 as well as to making energy production entirely carbon-free.

MTI photo: Bruzák Noémi