MINSK, 25 September (BelTA) – Western countries are hypocritically manipulating the climate agenda to suit their own interests, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov said at the high-level event on climate action in New York on 25 September, BelTA has learned.
“It is the Western nations that bear historical responsibility for climate change through their centuries-long policy of plundering natural resources and extensive industrial development. Today, it is they who hypocritically manipulate the climate agenda to suit their interests and force everyone to adjust to the rules they have invented,” Maxim Ryzhenkov emphasized.
In his words, the world is lagging behind in this super expensive green race, which may become sheer economic bondage for many developing countries, holding back their economic development. “And they are the ones who suffer the most from climate change,” the foreign minister noted. “Today, when opening the session, professors rightly noted: we must fight for the future of the planet. But how?”
The minister mentioned a number of other alarming trends. In particular, he mentioned the growth of arms production in NATO countries. It resulted in a 15% increase in their military emissions into the atmosphere.
The Western boycott of the airspace of a number of countries has also negatively affected the climate agenda. For instance, longer flight routes over relatively small Belarus result in additional 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions into the European Union’s airspace every day. “And what if we calculate the same for Russia and other countries of the world?” the diplomat suggested.
Maxim Ryzhenkov stressed that all the solutions for mitigating the consequences of climate change are obvious. “It is simple! It is necessary to stop hypocrisy and politicization of the climate change issue by putting an end to illegal unilateral sanctions and arranging technology transfer to countries in need. Justice and equality, as the Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out. And only joint efforts – through national actions and international cooperation,” the Belarusian foreign minister urged.
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