UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the UN will hold a pragmatic and serious climate summit in 2023 to spur governments to take action on climate change as the goal of avoiding global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius becomes out of reach crisis action.
Guterres said at the year-end press conference held on the 19th of this month that the world is heading in the “wrong direction” on climate change, and governments have not fulfilled their commitments to reduce emissions.
Guterres also said the UN, which will host the summit next September, aims to hold governments accountable and demand tangible plans for improvement.
Guterres said, “The invitation to participate is open, but there are access criteria, and the access criteria are non-negotiable, namely credible, serious and new climate action”, “This will be a serious summit , there are no exceptions, no compromises. There is no room for greenwashers, backsliders, and blame-shifters.”
Governments and international institutions have recognized the urgency of climate change, critics have blamed the international community for failing to rein in emissions, and the climate crisis has disrupted societies around the world. Droughts, heat waves and floods, caused in part by climate change, are changing the lives of millions of people around the world, especially those living in poor countries.
Although an agreement was reached at the United Nations-sponsored Conference of the Parties (COP27) this November to establish a “loss and damage” fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, Issues such as emissions and the phasing out of fossil fuels have not been fully addressed.
Countries are under pressure to ensure that halving emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050 is the only way to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius under a binding international treaty — — Goals agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Guterres said on the 19th that he will continue to push for a climate solidarity agreement, which will require greater efforts by the world‘s largest emitters and more support for countries in need.
He also addressed other issues causing global hardship and instability, including Russia’s war on Ukraine and ongoing protests in Iran.
Guterres said he was “not optimistic” about the prospect of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the near future, but expressed hope that the United Nations would play a role on issues such as food shipments and prisoner exchanges.
Guterres pointed out, “I do think that the military confrontation will continue, and I think we will still have to wait for a while before we can start serious peace negotiations.” “I don’t think it will happen immediately.”