MADRID, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Executive Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said Thursday at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) that fighting climate change would not be cheap, but non-action would come with a much bigger cost.
"Let me make this very clear: What happens if we do nothing," Timmermans said.
"What happens if instead of 400,000 people a year dying prematurely every year in Europe because of poor air quality, it is a million?" Timmermans asked.
"What will be the cost of inaction and in having more frequent natural disasters?" he continued, making reference to the heavy rains this fall which caused damage worth millions of euros in southern and eastern Spain.
"What happens if that rain doesn't come once every 15 years, but instead comes every five months?" Timmermans said.
The Dutch politician said it is "very important" to take action against climate change, adding that "we can fix it" by working together.
Timmermans also expressed his hope that a growing number of people in the future would live a greener lifestyle, in an effort to protect the environment.
According to Carolina Schmidt, chairwoman of the event and Chile's environment minister, COP25 should focus on the details of the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, especially Article 6, which covers measures to promote voluntary international cooperation to reduce carbon emissions.
