UN Secretary General: We are further and further away from the goal of keeping warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius
The goal of keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius is "in intensive care and on life support." This was stated by the UN Secretary-General, speaking to the participants of the Economic Summit on Sustainable Development.
“The Glasgow conference gave us some naive optimism,” António Guterres said. – Yes, at COP-26 we saw some progress: countries committed themselves to stop deforestation and reduce methane emissions. But the main problem has not been solved - it has not even been properly formulated. This problem lies in the continuing huge gap in emissions between individual countries.”
The world is moving towards the edge
To "keep afloat" the goal of keeping warming within one and a half degrees, the Secretary General said, it is necessary to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century, which is almost impossible under the current conditions.
“This problem has not been solved in Glasgow,” said António Guterres. - After the conference, it continues to worsen. Last year alone, global energy-related CO2 emissions rose by six percent, reaching the highest levels in history. The world, like a person who is ill with somnambulism, is blindly moving towards the edge of the abyss.
No one can isolate themselves from chaos
In 2020, climate disasters forced 30 million people to flee their homes - a figure three times more than the number who fled as a result of wars and violence, said the head of the UN. Half of humanity already lives in a dangerous climate zone. Small island states, least developed countries and vulnerable people around the world are one step away from the end of the world.
“In our globally connected world, no country, no corporation can isolate itself from the chaos of climate change now underway,” said António Guterres. “If we continue like this, we should say goodbye to the 1.5 degree target now. Even a two-degree limit might be out of reach.”
What to do?
“If we want to stop global warming, we need to turn to its main culprit, the G20,” the UN Secretary-General said. – G20 developed and developing economies account for 80 percent of all global air emissions. The most dangerous thing is the high dependence on coal of such countries as China, India and Indonesia.
António Guterres recalled that long before the Glasgow conference, he advocated the creation of an international coalition that would help developing countries move from coal to renewable energy.
“Developing countries often face multiple obstacles along the way,” the UN chief said. – These include high capital costs, technical problems and insufficient access to finance. Developed countries, development banks, private financial institutions and companies with high technology know-how must join forces to provide rapid support to countries where coal continues to be heavily used.”
Good news
The good news, António Guterres continued, is that all the G20 governments, including China, Japan and Korea, have agreed to stop funding foreign coal. Now, the Secretary General is convinced, they must urgently do the same at home - gradually dismantle their own coal infrastructure.
“Those who still finance the extraction and use of coal in the private sector must be held accountable,” said the head of the UN. “This is a pointless investment leading to a pointless freeze of billions in assets. It's time to end fossil fuel subsidies, stop the expansion of oil and gas exploration."
The war in Ukraine and the climate agenda
According to the Secretary General, "Russia's war in Ukraine threatens to undermine the food and energy markets", which will also affect the fight against climate change: the world's leading economies are trying to quickly find a replacement for Russian supplies of fossil fuels, and as a result, they risk prolonging their dependence on this source of energy and miss the opportunity to keep warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Countries can become so engrossed in plugging holes in energy supplies that they forget about measures aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels. This is crazy,” the head of the UN warned.
Priority is adaptation
As emissions are reduced, humanity must protect vulnerable populations, communities and countries, the Secretary General stressed. This is why climate change adaptation and mitigation, he says, must be done without delay.
“Commitments made by members of the Glasgow Summit to double adaptation funding by 2025