The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, said Monday that Hurricane Ian, one of the biggest storms to hit the United States, is a “brutal reminder that no country and economy are immune. to the climate crisis.
Guterres’ statements were made in the framework of the meeting of environment ministers from around 50 countries that starts this Monday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the negotiations prior to the United Nations Conference on the Climate Change (COP27), which will take place in Egypt from November 16 to 18.
At the United Nations headquarters in New York, António Guterres considered that climate chaos is only increasing, while “climate action has stalled.”
“Starting today, government representatives will meet in Kinshasa for the pre-COP27 critique, which will lay the groundwork. The work ahead is immense. As immense as the climate impacts we are seeing around the world: a third of Pakistan has been flooded; Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years; (…) all of Cuba in blackout; and here in the United States, Hurricane Ian provided a brutal reminder that no country and no economy is immune from the climate crisis.”, said.
Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday with 150 mph winds, killing at least 54 people, flooding homes and leaving more than a million homes without power.
Also in Cuba, the hurricane left a trail of destruction and three deaths.
According to a preliminary study by US scientists published on Friday, rainfall linked to Hurricane Ian has increased by at least 10% due to climate change.
In a direct criticism of the world’s richest countries, the UN secretary general said that the collective commitments of the G20 governments are too few and too late.
“Together, current promises and policies are closing the door on our chance to limit global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, let alone reach the 1.5 degree target. We are in a life and death struggle for our own safety today and our survival tomorrow. (…) It is time for a compromise at the quantum level between developed and emerging economies”, he appealed.
Guterres urged the ministers now meeting in Kinshasa to work to ensure action at COP27 and “not another dead end discussion” and, at the financial level, he asked for “clarity” from two developed countries “on where they are, this year, with their promises to deliver 100 thousand million dollars (101.8 thousand million euros) per year to support climate action. developing countries”.
“And the Multilateral Development Banks, including the World Bank, must improve their actions. Emerging economies in particular need your support for the renewable energy revolution and resilience building,” he said in a press release.
The former Portuguese prime minister also lamented that the war in Ukraine is leaving climate action on the back burner.
Guterres concluded with a request to heads of state and government to attend COP27 and tell the world what climate action they will take nationally and globally.
“World leaders can demonstrate through their presence and active participation that climate action is indeed a top global priority,” he urged.
Source: Observadora
