Heading into the warmest year on record, the United Nations is concerned that the fight against climate change is not going in the right direction. This Wednesday, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is celebrating in New York the Climate Ambition Summit, one day, with the intention of redirecting the situation. It will be a wake-up call to all economies to take action.
“The climate crisis is worsening dramatically, but the collective response.” There is a lack of ambition, credibility and urgency», criticized Guterres two weeks ago at the G-20.
A recent United Nations report found that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to the devastating effects of the new climate and providing money to transform the economy do not meet the global commitment to keeping the effects of global warming in check. A promise made by nearly 200 countries when signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, which will require “more efforts on all fronts” to fulfill, the report said.
That’s why this Wednesday’s negotiations in New York will address all of these fronts, with one addition: We must restore trust in which there is international commitment. Guterres wants countries, but also companies, organizations and civil society, to show that they are ready to accelerate the pace of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And that’s what he asks concrete and tangible measures: In fact, today Guterres will only allow leaders to intervene in the opening session who bring new and significant measures. The list of speaking guests was kept secret until the end. According to Portal, more than 100 countries had requested speaking time, but the UN team declined requests in recent days. Perhaps that is why the President of the United States, Joe Biden, decided not to attend. Special climate envoy John Kerry, who was present, will also not speak.
To get an idea of the scale of the challenge, we must consider that the planet is already 1.2 degrees warmer than in pre-industrial times. A limit of 1.5 degrees requires an immediate reduction in global emissions. 43 percent by 2030. If not, this goal will already be unattainable. To limit warming to 2 degrees, the reduction in emissions would have to be 21% in 2030.
The work and announcements made at this summit will serve to enable the next climate summit COP28 which will take place in Dubai at the end of the year.