UN secretary general Antonio Guterres also called on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to phase out coal by 2030, and other nations by 2040.
The United Nations is pushing for a global coalition committed to net zero emissions by 2050 which will cover all countries, cities, regions and businesses, Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General said on Monday. He also called on Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to phase out coal by 2030, and 2040 elsewhere.
Ahead of the April 22-23 Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate convened by the United States of America where 40 world leaders are likely to speak, including PM Narendra Modi, Guterres said he expects the most important countries, in relation to climate change, will be able to commit to net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the middle of the century and to commit to a drastic reduction of emissions for the next decade by reviewing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
During a press interaction on Monday evening to launch the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of Global Climate 2020 report, Guterres said it’s a risk to have developing countries like India and China still investing in coal power plants that will be soon stranded assets.
Ahead of the April 22-23 Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate convened by the United States of America where 40 world leaders are likely to speak, including PM Narendra Modi, Guterres said he expects the most important countries, in relation to climate change, will be able to commit to net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the middle of the century and to commit to a drastic reduction of emissions for the next decade by reviewing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
During a press interaction on Monday evening to launch the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of Global Climate 2020 report, Guterres said it’s a risk to have developing countries like India and China still investing in coal power plants that will be soon stranded assets.
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Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar said last week that India will not raise its climate ambition at the behest of or under pressure from developed countries. India is already acting responsibly by implementing its ambitious NDC while under CBDR developed countries have a greater responsibility to cut emissions, he said.
“In climate debate historic responsibility is a very important aspect. We cannot just forget, and we will not allow anybody to forget it. The historical emissions responsibility today is China 28%, USA 40%; Europe 10% and India is only 3%. We are not responsible for the climate change that is happening, but India is a responsible nation. It will do the right thing to deal with climate change. Principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR, a principle under the Paris Agreement requires richer countries to lead and take historical responsibility for the emissions caused in the past by them.) is important. Yes, as we are facing a grave common threat, we all will have to act but those who have polluted will have to act more,” Javadekar said.
“We need to have an agreement based on three different dimensions: First, very ambitious targets on mitigation, namely, to get to net zero in the middle of the century. Second, a very strong support for adaptation, namely, in the developing countries. And third, a large effort of solidarity of developed countries with developing countries in finance and technology to allow developing countries to take profit of what is today the reality of technology in the economy,” Guterres said, adding that “Today, it is cheaper to produce electricity with renewables than in fossil fuels, and it’s a risk to have developing countries still investing in coal power plants that will be soon stranded assets. We have more and more situations in the world — I believe it’s already the case in countries like India and China — in which it is cheaper to create a new solar power plant than just to keep running several of the coal power plants that exist.”
“So, the economy is on our side; the technology is on our side, but we need the solidarity of developed countries with the developing world to allow, through the principle of CBDR and taking profit of the national capabilities, to allow exactly for this compromise to be possible. I believe it is possible. It requires commitment,” Guterres said.
According to a statement by the White House, a key goal of both the Leaders’ Summit and COP26 at Glasgow this November will be to catalyse efforts that keep that 1.5-degree goal within reach. The Summit will also highlight examples of how enhanced climate ambition will create good paying jobs, advance innovative technologies, and help vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts. By the time of the Summit, the United States will announce an ambitious 2030 emissions target as its new NDC under the Paris Agreement, the statement had said.
The global average temperature was about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels despite the cooling effect of La Nina in 2020, the WMO confirmed on Monday in its State of the Global Climate 2020 report. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had warned that a 1.5°C warming will mark a menacing milestone in the warming of the planet. Last year was one of the three warmest years on record; the six years since 2015 have been the warmest on record and 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record. The decrease in the annual growth rate of CO2 concentration due to the Covid-19 lockdown will be practically indistinguishable.
Globally averaged carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have already exceeded 410 parts per million (ppm), 148% of pre-industrial levels, and if the CO2 concentration follows the same pattern as in previous years, it could reach or exceed 414 ppm in 2021, according to the report.
“International agreements on climate change aim to keep global warming within the safe range of 1.5°C to 2°C, but few people realise that the world’s average temperature is already more than a degree warmer than it was 200 years ago. Parts of the world like the Himalayas are warming even faster. This is a serious concern for India, because climate change could have a compounding effect on existing scarcities, stresses and extreme events. For example, in 2020, even as we were fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, we also had to face Cyclone Amphan, which intensified rapidly in a warmer ocean. It is crucial that all countries invest in adaptation to climate impacts, especially to protect those who are most vulnerable to extreme events. At the same time, we need to accelerate policies and technologies to mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible,” said Ulka Kelkar, director, climate programme, World Resources Institute responding to the WMO report.
