On the fringes of the UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, EU Commission President von der Leyen announced three agreements for green hydrogen to ntv. It is the time to invest in the Global South. Russia sees them on the decline in the future.
On the fringes of the UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pointed out the great potential for renewable energies in southern countries and announced three agreements. "This is the great opportunity for the countries of the Global South," said the CDU politician to ntv. "Because they have everything that is needed for renewable energies - wind, sun, hydropower in excess. And now is the moment when we have to invest in infrastructure together with the countries of the Global South," said von der Leyen.
The EU Commission President described green hydrogen as the "energy of the future" and added: "I will conclude three agreements for green hydrogen here at this COP27, e.g. with Namibia and with Egypt." She specified that this will take place within the framework of the EU investment program "Global Gateway", which is endowed with 300 billion euros.
Von der Leyen also emphasized to ntv that Russia is responsible for the currently high energy costs. "It's Russia that has cut off 80 percent of its gas supplies to us, thereby also tightening the global energy market and driving up prices," she said.
"Russia will lose this energy war," emphasized von der Leyen. "Maybe not today, but tomorrow. Because Russia used to be the world's largest supplier of energy, the EU was Russia's largest customer, and those days are gone forever." Demand is now primarily directed towards renewable energies, said the politician, adding: "And above all towards new and reliable partnerships with the Global South."
Asked whether the so-called 1.5 degree target could still be achieved, von der Leyen said that this was still "feasible", but that all countries had to "try even harder". She also described the current time with a view to climate protection as a "very crucial phase" and added: "Because we want to get rid of our dependence on fossil fuels from Russia, gas, coal, oil. And now it is crucial that we do not go back into Gas, coal and oil go from other suppliers. Then we would sort of lock ourselves in the dirty energies."
