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‘Focus only on climate solutions’, says Guterres at UN Summit; India, US skip
A list of 41 speakers put out by the UN for the morning session did not figure representatives from China, the US, the UK or Japan. Guterres had called for countries to show up with commitments to stop oil and gas expansion and plan a phase-out of existing production in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit
The world is headed for 2.8 degrees Celsius warming if world leaders do not act now, said United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres on Wednesday at the UN Climate Ambition Summit as major emitters such as the US, China, and India, among others skipped the Summit being held in New York.
“Our focus here is on climate solutions and our task is urgent. Humanity has opened the gates to hell. Horrendous heat is having horrendous effects. Distraught farmers watching crops carried away by floods, sweltering temperatures spawning disease, and thousands fleeing in fear as historic fires rage. Climate action is dwarfed by the scale of the challenge. If nothing changes we are heading towards a 2.8 degree temperature rise – towards a dangerous and unstable world,” Guterres said on Wednesday.
A list of 41 speakers put out by the UN for the morning session did not figure representatives from China, the US, the UK or Japan.
Guterres had called for countries to show up with commitments to stop oil and gas expansion and plan a phase-out of existing production in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit.
Notable leaders from some of the world’s largest polluting nations skilled the summit and this may be because the UNSG set the bar too high for those who would get slots for speaking, independent experts said.
HT had reported on September 16 that Guterres had sent letters to member states, calling for expressions of interest in presenting how the nations will update their efforts to deal with the climate crisis.
To accelerate action by governments, businesses, finance, local authorities and civil society, and hear from “first movers and doers,” the UNSG is convening a Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Guterres called on “first movers and doers” to present the updated pre-2030 nationally determined contributions (NDC), as agreed to in the Glasgow climate summit in 2021– Updated net-zero targets; energy transition plans with commitments to no new coal, oil and gas; fossil fuel phase-out plans; more ambitious renewable energy targets; and pledges to the green climate fund.
A chair’s summary on the updated goals will be released at the end of the meeting.
Guterres at the Summit said that the world can still limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees. “We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs, and affordable clean power for all. The path forward is clear,” he said.
“But if we are to meet the 1.5-degree limit and protect ourselves from climate extremes… we need global leaders to take action. Action to reduce emissions. The move from fossil fuels to renewables is happening – but we are decades behind,” he added.
“We must make up time lost to foot-dragging, arm-twisting and the naked greed of entrenched interests raking in billions from fossil fuels…my acceleration agenda calls on governments to hit fast forward so that developed countries reach net zero as close as possible to 2040, and emerging economies as close as possible to 2050,” Guterres said, adding that the world needs credible plans to exit coal by 2030 for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and 2040 for the rest of the world.
He said that this could be done by ending fossil fuel subsidies – which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates reached an incredible $7 trillion in 2022, and by setting ambitious renewable energy goals in line with the 1.5-degree limit.
Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director, Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative, said: “At a time when calls to abandon fossil fuels reverberate from every corner—be it political podiums at the United Nations or activist gatherings—it’s a tragic paradox that wealthy nations such as Canada, the USA, and the UK persist in expanding the very industries driving the climate crisis. No excuses or numbers game can justify these planet-wrecking actions. They may ignore the voice of the people now, but they will pay a steep political price later, and history will not absolve them of their ecological recklessness.”
India formally updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC) last year to fight climate change, confirming to the United Nations apex body that it will reduce the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% from 2005 levels by the year 2030, and to have installed capacity for non-fossil fuel-based power sources equivalent to the country’s 50% requirement by 2030.
India has also submitted its long-term climate action strategy at the UN Climate Conference (COP27) joining a select list of countries that have articulated how they will achieve their net zero emissions goal in the long-term.
The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference is set to convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India’s Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy mainly articulates India’s vision and action plan for achieving its NDC goals and the target of net zero emissions by 2070 and key elements of India’s transition to a low-carbon development pathway.
Speakers at the Summit include the European Union, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, Marshall Islands, and Kenya, among others. COP 28 President, Sultan Al Jaber also attended the Summit.
Non-government institutions who are attending the Summit included the World Bank, IMF, the State of California, and the company Allianz.
