Debate contributions by Isabella LÖVIN

Mr President, I would like to thank you. The world is on its way to three degrees of warming, according to UNEP. Not one and a half, but three. This is a whole new world with droughts, storms and floods in a way that humanity has never experienced before. Now, with Donald Trump at the helm of the United States again, the likelihood is high that the United States will once again leave the Paris Agreement and cut its climate finance. This undermines global climate action. Funding is COP 29's big issue. The UN says that $1,000 billion is needed annually to enable all countries to transform and protect their societies. That sounds like a lot of money, but that's actually pretty much what we spend on fossil subsidies annually. The EU must now take the lead. We must push for as high a funding target as possible. We also need to ensure that the European Green Deal remains firm and that we can reduce emissions quickly. The EU can push for increased global ambitions. The EU must ensure that global climate action does not collapse. The least we can do is all we can do.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your All life on earth began in the oceans. The ocean feeds us. They give us joy. They produce half of the oxygen we breathe. Yet we abuse the oceans, use them as garbage dumps and empty them of fish. Now we've also given them a high fever, and that's very serious. As one scientist told me: The climate crisis, like COVID, is hitting the weakest the hardest. And the sea is already weakened. In the Baltic Sea, where I live, the average temperature has already increased by two degrees since 1990, and at a depth of 30 meters it was 20 degrees Celsius last summer, something that has never been noted before. An area as large as Denmark is dead bottom. We need to do something fast for this dying patient, and we need to do something new. We need a new maritime policy that can collectively help our seas to recover, so that they can once again sequester carbon in the bottoms, which are now being torn up by bottom trawling, and again have stable, viable ecosystems that make the water clear and clean again and that can provide Europe with sustainably fished fish. Not only do we need 30% of protected areas, but we need a holistic approach. That is why I welcome the European Maritime Pact. It must have the highest priority to allow the seas to recover. All policy areas need to work together to achieve this. The oceans are the foundation of all life. If we protect the ocean, we also protect ourselves.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your Right before the eyes of the EU, the Russian shadow fleet, carrying oil, is currently sailing through the Baltic Sea. Up to half of all the crude oil that Putin is currently making money from goes through the EU's most sensitive inland seas and can cause a huge oil disaster at any time. The boats are often scrap-ready without insurance, and they sail under flags of convenience, which allows them to escape sanctions. Several incidents have already been reported. The cost of clean-up in the event of an accident would be in the billions, and the bill would go to the taxpayer. This is nothing more than hybrid warfare, which, moreover, brings the bulk of the money to Putin's war chest. The EU must stop this now. We must also close the tap for all fossil imports and Russian oil and become fossil-free, not only for the sake of the Baltic Sea, but also for the sake of Ukraine, peace and the climate.

Madam President, I would like to thank you for your In 2015, I was at the UN General Assembly as Sweden's minister when the global goals were adopted. The room was full of hope and optimism. The whole world had agreed on a common global agenda and vision for humanity and for our planet. Today, that optimism feels very distant. Conflicts are on the rise, more people than ever are fleeing, democracy is backing down, women's rights are under threat and the climate crisis is already here. Many people are beginning to doubt that we can solve our common problems, but I think we can. But only if we work together. Global cooperation was created once for a reason – because on its own it is not strong. That understanding should be as important now as it was then. I therefore look with concern at the new Commission's focus on aid, on the EU's own interests over solidarity. Solidarity is the core value of the European Union and we must continue that line.