Start of COP28: “Getting serious in the fight against climate change”
Date
29 Nov 2023
Sections
Development Policy
Frankfurt/Brussels, 29 November 2023 – VDMA Executive Director Thilo Brodtmann comments on the start of the COP28 Climate Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE):
“Global climate change is forcing every country on the planet to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and get serious about decarbonising their economies. For this to happen, stronger agreements than previously expected must be reached at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. Mechanical and plant engineering has the technical solutions and expertise needed to meet climate targets and accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels. Our broad portfolio of decarbonisation options allows all countries to choose the technologies that suit their needs and industrial structures.
At the climate summit that is now beginning, the so-called "global stocktake" will take place in order to monitor progress since the adoption of the Paris Agreement. A realistic and successful outcome of the discussion with concrete steps agreed is the only way to combat climate change."
A photo of Thilo Brodtmann, VDMA Executive Director can be found here.
VDMA represents more than 3,500 German and European mechanical and plant engineering companies. The industry stands for innovation, export orientation and SMEs. The companies employ around 3 million people in the EU-27, more than 1.2 million of them in Germany alone. This makes mechanical and plant engineering the largest employer among the capital goods industries, both in the EU-27 and in Germany. In the European Union, it represents a turnover volume of an estimated 770 billion euros. Around 80 percent of the machinery sold in the EU comes from a manufacturing plant in the domestic market.