UNITED NATIONS, :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday told world leaders attending the Climate Summit, hosted by the United States, to take urgent climate action, as \u201cMother Nature is not waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
In sharply-worded remarks from UN Headquarters in New York, he called for a price on carbon, end subsidies for fossil fuels and stop financing of coal and building of new coal power plants, warning that the \u201cthe world is on red alert.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a green planet \u2014 but the world is on red alert,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are at the verge of the abyss. We must make sure the next step is in the right direction. Leaders everywhere must take action.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN chief thanked US President Joe Biden for hosting the two-day Leaders Summit on Climate, and applauded US commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
In his introductory remarks, President Biden announced the country would slash emissions in half, by 2030. He spoke of the \u201cextraordinary job creation and economic opportunity\u201d that climate response provides, proposing investments in sectors such as energy, transportation, construction and farming.<\/p>\n
President Biden acknowledged that no nation can solve the climate emergency alone, and he called for leaders of the world\u2019s largest economies to \u201cstep up\u201d in the race to a sustainable future.<\/p>\n
\u201cScientists tell us that this is the decisive decade. This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Guterres used the Summit to amplify his call for a global coalition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and for countries to ramp up their commitments under the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.<\/p>\n
The 2015 treaty aims to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and requires governments to commit to increasingly ambitious climate action through plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).<\/p>\n
\u201cAll countries \u2013 starting with major emitters \u2013 should submit new and more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions for mitigation, adaptation and finance, laying out actions and policies for the next 10 years aligned with a 2050 net-zero pathway\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
These commitments also must be translated into \u201cconcrete, immediate action\u201d, he added, as it is estimated that less than a quarter of pandemic recovery spending will go towards mitigating emissions, reducing air pollution or strengthening natural capital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trillions of dollars needed for COVID-19 recovery is money we are borrowing from future generations. We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden them with a mountain of debt on a broken planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN chief appealed for leaders to \u201cput a price on carbon\u201d through taxation. He called for ending subsidies for fossil fuels and instead, ramping up investment in renewable energy and green infrastructure.?<\/p>\n
\u201cStop the financing of coal and the building of new coal power plants. Phase out coal by 2030 in the wealthiest countries, and by 2040 everywhere else.? Ensure a just transition for affected people and communities\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Building the global net zero coalition will require a breakthrough in both finance and adaption, the Secretary-General said. He urged donors, as well as banks, to move from 20 to 50 per cent in all climate finance flows to resilience and adaptation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the United Nations climate conference in November in Glasgow, we need concrete proposals that ease access to greater finance and technological support for the most vulnerable countries,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeveloped States must deliver on public climate finance, including the long-promised US $100 billion for climate action in developing countries, at the G7 Summit in June.\u201d<\/p>\n
The head of the UN climate convention body (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa, issued a statement on the Summit, noting that the global climate change emergency was \u201ca clear, present and growing danger to all people on this planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt recognizes no borders and while nations may be impacted differently, none are immune\u201d, she said. \u201cThis is a time for leadership, courage and solidarity by global leaders; a time they must make the tough decisions necessary to finally fulfill the promises of the Paris Agreement and move the world away from disaster and towards an unprecedented era of growth, prosperity and hope for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday told world leaders attending the Climate Summit, hosted by the United States, to take urgent climate action, as \u201cMother Nature is not waiting.\u201d In sharply-worded remarks from UN Headquarters in New York, he called for a price on […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6663,6661,6664,6662],"class_list":["post-9169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-world-news","tag-tackle-climate-change","tag-un-chief-urges","tag-us-hosted-summit","tag-world-leaders"],"yoast_head":"\n