(Quebec) François Legault will speak about the environment at the United Nations in New York next week, The Canadian Press has learned.
Posted at 6:21 am
Caroline Plante The Canadian Press
The Prime Minister was invited by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to attend the United Nations General Assembly and take part in the first Climate Ambition Summit.
It is extremely rare for a Quebec premier to receive such an invitation, and the honor is seen in government offices as a recognition of Quebec’s efforts in the fight against climate change.
No other Canadian province was invited to this major event.
Obviously, Quebec stands out: the government likes to point out that Quebec produces the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) per capita in North America and that 99% of its electricity comes from renewable sources.
In addition, the company has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5% below 1990 levels by 2030 and is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
On May 19, the Legault government also announced an update to its green economy plan, with a budget of 9 billion over five years.
Antonio Guterres believes “climate collapse has begun” as the northern hemisphere hit a world record summer temperature.
According to the European Copernicus Observatory, July and August were the hottest months on record.
The Climate Ambition Summit recognizes government, civil society and business leaders who are “leading the implementation of credible and concrete actions aimed at achieving the 1.5 degrees Celsius target of the Paris Agreement and those who have the greatest impact “Climate crisis,” says an explanatory document from the United Nations.
Environment Minister Benoit Charette will accompany Prime Minister Legault to New York next week for three days, Monday to Wednesday.
PHOTO FRANCIS VACHON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Environment Minister Benoit Charette
Together they will present Quebec’s main directions in the fight against climate change and take part in a roundtable with members of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), of which Quebec is a part.
The BOGA brings together the states that have renounced the exploitation and exploration of hydrocarbons on their territory.
It will be an opportunity to showcase Quebec on the international stage, it is said, also in light of Prime Minister Legault increasing the number of announcements on the development of the battery sector.
A major announcement on this topic is also planned with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the coming weeks.
This presence of Prime Minister Legault at the United Nations is a first step before the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 28), which will take place from November 30th to December 12th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.