Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the industrialized nations to take action against the global challenge of global warming. "We all heard the wake-up call of the youth," Merkel said at the opening of the UN climate summit in New York. Previously, the climate activist Greta Thunberg had emotionally urged world leaders to be more involved in climate change.
In her speech, Merkel committed to the responsibility of Germany and the industrial nations for climate change. "There is no doubt that global warming is essentially man-made," she said, without mentioning US President Donald Trump, who followed her speech in the audience. Trump does not consider climate change to be man-made. Merkel emphasized that global warming is "a global challenge that can only be tackled together because we all have only one earth".
The industrialized countries are the cause of global warming, the developing countries the main victims, Merkel said. "That's why we, as representatives of developed countries, have a duty to use innovation, technology and money to pave the way to stop global warming."
Germany is facing a profound change in which it is necessary to take people through incentives, said the Chancellor. "There are those who are active and demonstrating and pushing us, but there are doubters as well." The task of every government is to "take all people". This task is Germany. "We will make our contribution to a sustainable economy and a sustainable life worldwide," promised Merkel.