United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders Saturday to declare a state of climate emergency as he opened a summit marking five years since the landmark Paris Agreement.
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The online Climate Ambition Summit comes as the UN warns current commitments to tackle rises in global temperatures are inadequate. The commitments made in Paris in 2015 were "far from enough" to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the UN chief said in his opening address to the summit.
"If we don't change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3.0 degrees this century," he said.
"That is why today, I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached," he added, arguing the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic presents a rare opportunity to recalibrate growth.
Speaking slots were handed to countries that submitted the most ambitious plans to accelerate their Paris promises. These include Honduras and Guatemala, which were hit last month by a pair of monster hurricanes, as well as India, which is battling increasingly erratic weather patterns and air pollution. But major economies, including Australia, Brazil, and South Africa were absent.
More than 110 countries have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. China, the world's biggest polluter, announced in September plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
The United States, the world's second-largest polluter after China, left the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump. President-elect Joe Biden plans immediately to re-enter the accord and has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
Under the Paris climate accord, signatories committed to action to limit temperature rises to "well below" 2.0 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to try to restrain them to 1.5 Celsius.
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But the UN warned this week that temperatures remain on course to rise more than 3.0C this century, creating a crisis that will "dwarf the impacts of COVID-19."
Countries are set to announce efforts to reduce national emissions, long-term strategies, and financial commitments to support the most vulnerable.
This article was first published by i24NEWS
