UN chief Guterres calls for more action to tackle climate change
- 5 years ago
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has issued an appeal to world leaders to do more to tackle climate change.
He was speaking at the opening of a UN climate change conference in Poland on Monday, where delegates from across the world will negotiate how to tackle the issue.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… tell us more…
Well Mark… the COP24 conference is being described as the most important gathering on climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement.
Over the next two weeks, delegates will try to finalize a plan to limit global warming, but expectations are low.
Guterres said climate change was already taking its toll.
"We are in trouble, we are in deep trouble with climate change. Climate change is running faster than we are, and we must catch up sooner rather than later before it is too late. For many people, regions, even countries, this is already a matter of life or death."
He added the Paris agreement was not enough and that more must be done.
"So, Paris commitments are not enough to reach the Paris goal. But unfortunately, since Paris, the implementation of those commitments for the majority of the countries has been less ambitious than the commitments themselves. We are off-track, we will not reach 2020 with what was promised in Paris. And at the same time, what was promised in Paris is not enough. So, we need a huge increase in ambition."
The Paris accord set a goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to less than two degrees Celsius by 2030.
Guterres said in order to achieve that, global emissions from 2010 levels to 2030 must be halved.
However, the COP24 gathering is already facing hurdles with a clash of opinions.
Host country Poland is proposing a slow approach to ease the financial blow from move away from fossil fuels.
Nations more immediately threatened by climate change, including Fiji, are urging for nations to act now.
He was speaking at the opening of a UN climate change conference in Poland on Monday, where delegates from across the world will negotiate how to tackle the issue.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… tell us more…
Well Mark… the COP24 conference is being described as the most important gathering on climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement.
Over the next two weeks, delegates will try to finalize a plan to limit global warming, but expectations are low.
Guterres said climate change was already taking its toll.
"We are in trouble, we are in deep trouble with climate change. Climate change is running faster than we are, and we must catch up sooner rather than later before it is too late. For many people, regions, even countries, this is already a matter of life or death."
He added the Paris agreement was not enough and that more must be done.
"So, Paris commitments are not enough to reach the Paris goal. But unfortunately, since Paris, the implementation of those commitments for the majority of the countries has been less ambitious than the commitments themselves. We are off-track, we will not reach 2020 with what was promised in Paris. And at the same time, what was promised in Paris is not enough. So, we need a huge increase in ambition."
The Paris accord set a goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to less than two degrees Celsius by 2030.
Guterres said in order to achieve that, global emissions from 2010 levels to 2030 must be halved.
However, the COP24 gathering is already facing hurdles with a clash of opinions.
Host country Poland is proposing a slow approach to ease the financial blow from move away from fossil fuels.
Nations more immediately threatened by climate change, including Fiji, are urging for nations to act now.