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World standing at the edge of the cliff with climate change
– We can no longer afford big fossil fuel projects anywhere – UN Secretary General
By Kiana Wilburg
Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres
When it comes to climate change, the world is standing at the edge of the abyss. In fact, the world is still heading for a disastrous temperature rise of 2.4 degrees by the end of the century. With such a state of affairs, it is clear that the world cannot afford big fossil fuel projects anywhere or it may very well push nations over the dangerous precipice upon which it stands.
This rude awakening was recently presented by Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, at the recent convening of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. During that engagement, the Secretary General sought to give leaders his assessment of where the world stands six months ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).
Guterres was keen to note that last year was yet another unprecedented period of extreme weather and climate disasters. The UN Official said that Carbon Dioxide concentrations again rose to a new high – 148 percent above pre-industrial levels. This he said is the highest level for 3 million years. Guterres stated too that last year was already 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times – dangerously close to the 1.5-degree limit set by the scientific community. With this mind, he said, “Under current commitments, including the recent ones, we are still heading for a disastrous temperature rise of 2.4 degrees by the end of the century. We stand indeed at the edge of the abyss. But if we work together, we can avert the worst impacts of climate disruption and use the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to steer us on a cleaner, greener path.”
To address climate change, Guterres said it is clear too that nations need an equal balance between mitigation and adaptation and both backed by finance and technological support to developing countries. This he asserted will allow both developed and developing countries to fully mobilise to reach global net zero emissions by mid-century and build resilience to changes to come.
On mitigation, the Secretary General said he sees encouraging signs from some major economies. In this regard, he noted that countries representing 73 percent of emissions have committed to net zero emissions by 2050. While all this is well and good, he stressed that all countries – especially in the G20 – need to close the mitigation gap further by COP26.
The Secretary General said, “The bottom line is that, by 2030, we must cut global emissions by 45 percent compared to 2010 levels to get to net zero emissions by 2050. Sometimes it’s complicated to compare things, as the reference year changes from pledge to pledge, but the net result is that we will keep hope of 1.5 degrees alive. A top priority must be to end coal use by 2030 in OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and by 2040 across the globe.”
Guterres categorically stated that the move from polluting to renewable energy must be a just transition, involving local governments, unions and the private sector to support affected communities and people, generating green jobs. He said it therefore means that the world can no longer afford big fossil fuel infrastructure anywhere as such investments simply deepen the climate change predicament.
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