Venezuela’s president at COP27 says climate breakdown seems world’s ‘fatal destiny’

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has delivered strong words on Tuesday at the UN climate summit COP27, saying climate breakdown seems world’s fatal destiny.

“The planet had given us all we needed for life generously yet today we are having to pay this great toil because of our actions. Today the threat is the total collapse of our ecosystem…it appears to be our fatal destiny.” Maduro said.

“Many elites have denied [climate change] and yet the scientific community warned about it very early on,”

He further said more should have been done over the last 30 years to declare it an emergency and act accordingly.

“We still remember [the COP15 climate summit in 2009 in] Copenhagen, we still remember police brutality repression in the streets against the social movements and what happened since then. We have wasted a lot of time since then. Every hour, every month, every year we have hesitated.” Maduro added.

The Venezuelan president touched on issues of climate justice, pointing out that his country is responsible for just 0.4 percent of greenhouse gases worldwide.

On Monday, Maduro took part in the working table on Food Security and Climate Change, during the high-level segment of the COP27 .

“Venezuela, here we are! At COP27 to protect nature and life in the world as well as preserve our Pachamama. We are obliged to achieve it, we cannot fail the future,” he said in a tweet.

“We are in an irreversible stage of the climate change damage, which has been caused by the destructive and highly polluting capitalist model. All nations must commit to the execution of concrete actions that seek life on the planet ,” the Venezuelan president added.

“The task of preserving life on planet earth is everyone’s responsibility. Reaching agreements and committing ourselves for the well-being of humanity is the right path. Let’s work for it!”