The climate commitment to avoid a serious worsening of global warming is in jeopardy

During a private meeting of Heads of State and Government held recently at the UN headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for greater leadership on climate, warning that efforts to prevent the rise in global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels they are “on a ventilator”.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the UN chief said he had spoken to leaders about the climate emergency and the “triple global crisis” of food, energy and finance.

Guterres explained to the assembled leaders that the devastation he witnessed in Pakistan, where flooding covered around a third of the country at its peak, came with just 1.2 degrees of global warming – the world is currently on its way. of a global increase of more than three degrees, which translates into a single word: disaster.

The meeting, co-chaired by Guterres and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, was billed as a “frank and informal exchange” of views between the leaders, and an opportunity to address key issues ahead of the UN climate change conference. COP27, to be held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

The meeting took place against a background of worsening climate impacts and unprecedented carbon emissions, which are hitting vulnerable communities the hardest.

During informal talks, four burning issues were addressed: the need to be more ambitious on mitigation, climate finance, adaptation, and loss and damage. In all of them we are failing, said the Secretary General.

Family displaced by drought in the Horn of Africa. (Photo: © UNFPA Ethiopia / Paula Seijo)

Mitigation

On mitigation, Guterres noted that emissions must be almost halved by 2030, but are on track to increase by 14%, and called on representatives of the world’s leading economies, the G20 countries, to phase out progressively coal, increase investment in renewable energy and end their “addiction to fossil fuels”.

“The fossil fuel industry is killing us,” he said, “and leaders are not keeping up with their people, who are crying out for urgent climate action.”

Financing

Under the historic Paris Climate Agreement, developing countries were promised $100 billion a year to fund initiatives to help them cope with the effects of climate change. To date, that goal has not been met. The UN chief declared that financial commitments to the developing world must be fulfilled immediately, and in full.

“I stressed the need to double adaptation support to $40 billion annually by 2025,” Guterres continued. “Climate destruction is happening now. People are suffering now.”

Looking ahead to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the event will move these discussions forward, as a matter of climate justice, international solidarity and trust.

Cooperate to lower prices

A Summit of Heads of State and Government of the G20 will be held in Bali in November, during the last days of COP27, and Guterres urged leaders to make important decisions to face the “triple crisis” of food, energy and finance .

He urged international cooperation and solidarity to bring down prices that have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, increase support for developing countries and avoid a major crisis next year.

International financial institutions must also step forward and offer debt relief to developing countries, Guterres said, adding that new mechanisms for getting resources to countries in need must be improved and expanded. (Font: UN News)