While at COP 27, Fiala will address a plenary session, take part in a round-table discussion on water management, and open a panel discussion on support for education on climate change. Photo credit: Petr Fiala, via Facebook.
Prague, Nov 7 (CTK) – The Czech Republic will join the global pledge to cut methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. Prime Minister Petr Fiala made the announcement to journalists yesterday before leaving to attend the start of the COP 27 conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
With this measure, the Czech Republic wants to express its support for the global effort to cut methane emissions, Fiala added.
The PM also said he would like to use this opportunity to conduct bilateral talks with politicians, as well as representatives of important companies. Fiala will also play a role in the climate conference as the lead representative of the current president country of the EU Council.
Fiala will meet, for example, Anders Opedal, chief executive officer of Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor. “I want to talk with him about possible cooperation that could secure a reliable source of oil and especially natural gas for the Czech Republic,” he said.
“The Czech Republic is convinced that we must achieve an agreement at the global level, because if we do not succeed in this, then the EU and therefore also the Czech Republic will face negative impacts on its industry and economy,” Fiala said.
During his three-day visit, Fiala is to conduct bilateral talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He will also visit members of the Czech contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) mission at their base near Sharm el-Sheikh, where they monitor whether the security conditions of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt are being observed.
At the UN conference, Fiala will address a plenary session, take part in a round-table discussion on water management, and open a panel discussion on support for education on climate change. “We have to learn to listen to all scientifically based opinions, follow expert knowledge, and be able to also mediate this to young people,” he said.
The UN climate change conference will last until 18 November. The crucial element of the conference will be an assessment of the phase-out of coal agreed at last year’s COP meeting. At the opening of the conference, the delegates agreed to discuss whether rich countries should pay compensation to developing countries threatened by climate change. Representatives of almost 200 countries will take part in the conference.
