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Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference also known as COP26 which is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 31 October and 12 November 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres urged ministers to make concerted efforts to reduce emissions, finance climate action and support mitigation.
Speaking during a final official ministerial meeting in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, Guterres said time was running out and highlighted that the 2015 Accord requires countries to commit to increasingly ambitious climate action through plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
“Governments must enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions and domestic policies as often as necessary, and without delay, until we are collectively on the right track. Current NDCs will lead to a “catastrophic” rise of 2.7 degrees and I call upon for more ambition now.
“I cannot emphasize enough that time is running out. Irreversible climate tipping points lie alarmingly close. Civil society is watching closely and is running out of patience,” he said.
The UN chief urged Governments to step up efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
“We can only meet the 1.5-degree goal if all G20 countries, which are responsible for 80 percent of global emissions, pledge more decisive action in new or updated NDCs.”
Developed countries were urged by the UN Chief to take the lead and emerging economies were encouraged to further cut emissions.
“All leaders must recognize that we are in the middle of a climate emergency. Thus, Governments need to enhance their NDCs and domestic policies “as often as necessary, and without delay until we are collectively on the right track.”
Guterres also emphasised the need to phase out coal stating that it is the most effective step towards limiting global temperature rise.
He pointed out that despite global progress over the past year, the long journey still remains.
He welcomed China’s recent announcement on ending international financing of coal-based power and called for commercial banks and other private financiers to follow suit.
“And I ask that coalitions of governments and public and private finance institutions unite to scale up existing financial mechanisms to retire coal and fund a just transition toward universal access to renewable energy,” he said.
Concerning financing for climate action, Guterres said the true commitment was needed.
“Developed countries have a responsibility to increase their individual pledges and honour their collective commitment to deliver the promised $100 billion a year. This is an essential question of trust.”
Meanwhile, he said, support for adaptation “remains the neglected half of the climate equation” receiving just 25 percent of climate finance and representing a paltry 0.1 percent of private funding.
Additionally, the Secretary-General urged donors and development banks to allocate at least 50 percent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience, adding that needs are increasing every year.
“Developing countries already need $70 billion dollars for adaptation, and that figure could more than quadruple to $300 billion dollars a year by the end of this decade. Failure to deliver means a massive loss of lives and livelihoods,” he said.
The Secretary-General encouraged countries to use the ministerial meeting to rebuild the trust necessary to make COP26 in Glasgow a success.
He also called upon young people, in particular, to continue leading the growing calls for more ambition.
“They will hold us accountable. Climate justice demands that we bequeath them a liveable planet,” he said.
“Countries must take the long view, and the moral high ground so that this and future generations can look forward to peace, opportunity, and dignity for all on a healthy planet,” the UN chief added.