Stepping back from 1.5C goal cannot be accepted: Spanish premier

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - Spain's prime minister warned Saturday that the world "cannot accept a step back from Glasgow which risks the 1.5C goal," referring to last year's UN climate change conference in Scotland.

Pedro Sanchez's remarks came as the closing of the COP27 conference was extended to the weekend to reach a “consensus” between participants on climate change.

The climate talks were supposed to end Friday.

"We need to respond to science and strengthen the solidarity with the most vulnerable. It’s time to be on the right side of history. Survival it’s at stake," Sanchez wrote on Twitter.

Sanchez asked leaders at the G20 summit last week not to use the war in Ukraine as an excuse to backtrack on commitments.

"If we don’t cut emissions faster, we’ll end up spending much more or even running out of time. We must act now," he said.

Sanchez insisted that shifting to green energy can help societies overcome “devastating” problems, highlighting Spain’s commitment to renewable energy and its nearly $1.9 billion pledge to the IMF’s new Resilience and Sustainability Trust.

Disagreements on the phase-down of fossil fuels dominated the last-hour negotiations at COP27 in Egypt’s seaside city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Sources at the UN summit told Anadolu Agency that a draft COP27 agreement was largely similar to one adopted at last year’s COP26 Glasgow summit

Tension and disagreements remained on the phase-down of fossil fuels, according to the sources.