If current climate policies do not change, the planet's temperature will have risen by 3ºC If we are to limit the increase to 1,5°C from pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, triggering catastrophes that will devastate economies, the UN Secretary-General said once again on Tuesday, this time at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
In his speech to the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, António Guterres stressed the urgency of countries accelerate the reduction of their carbon emissions in the short term by 9% annually in the current decade.
However, he regretted, the emissions keep increasing instead of moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which is currently the cheapest source of electricity.
"The end of fossil fuels is inevitable"Let's make sure it doesn't come too late and that it comes in a fair manner," he stressed.
Guterres echoed the words of the President of Brazil, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, host of the conclave, recalling that the countries of the G20 are responsible for 80% of emissions.
Failure is not an option
"That's why we need them at the front [of climate action],” he told the leaders of those economies, and asked them to instruct their ministers and negotiators participating in the Climate Summit COP29 taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, to agree on a new target for financing climate action.
“Failure is not an option (…) The success of COP29 is in your hands, I call for a sense of responsibility of all the countries present at this table to ensure that the meeting is a success,” concluded the Secretary General.
The leaders responded by ordering their representatives at COP29 not to return from Baku without reaching a good agreement on a New climate finance target.
Tense talks in Baku
Meanwhile in Baku, the head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Stiell, said that Success at COP29 will benefit all countries.
The tense ones Closed-door talks continue at the giant sports complex in the Azerbaijani capital, the venue for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the Convention.
Although Progress has slowed in recent days, parties are working to agree on a new target that will provide countries with the means to implement effective climate measures and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Stiell stressed the need for countries to improve their national climate plans, in line with the G20 leaders' call for a rapid transition to a clean energy-based and climate-resilient global economy.
In this regard, he urged the G20 delegations to act decisively“The G20 delegations have their marching orders here in Baku, where we need all nations to put aside posturing and move quickly toward common ground on all issues.”
Some civil society actors are cautiously optimistic, while others are concerned about the vague language and minimal mention of fossil fuels in the statement.
Global institutions are not up to the task
In Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the climate issue, the UN head's agenda included a session on the reform of the governance of global institutions, which highlighted the deficit of trust in those entities.
“Poverty, inequality and the climate crisis are worsening and peace is moving out of reach. We need global solutions based on the UN Charter"But our institutions are not up to the task," said António Guterres before the G20 heads of state.
El Security Council It is the first institution that constantly loses its efficiency and legitimacy., being unable to stop the terrible wars in which innocent people pay a terrible price, he noted.
“The reform of the Security Council must be carried out with determination and not to become a mirage"He stressed, stating that achieving peace requires actions based on the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States.
Obsolete and unfair financial architecture
Regarding global financial institutions, Guterres noted that as the world's largest economies, G20 countries set the rules that govern their boards.
At this point, he added, the world expects them to act in accordance with the commitments of the Future Pact for accelerate the reform of the international financial architecture “which has become obsolete and unfair.”
The financial architecture must be reformed so that be representative of today's world and not the one from many decades ago.
To give fair representation to developing countries in the governance of international financial institutions, to protect economies – particularly vulnerable ones – from global shocks, and to mobilize large-scale financing and close the financing gap of the Sustainable Development Goals, including substantially increasing the capital and lending capacity of multilateral development banks, making them bigger and bolder, Guterres said.
In addition, he added, this new architecture must achieve that the debt relief work in a timely and effective manner for those countries that are drowning in paying for it.
We also need Building a more inclusive and equitable international tax system, he added, referring to the conference on Financing for Development, scheduled for July in Spain, as an opportunity to deepen these reforms.
Artificial intelligence
The Secretary General's address covered the artificial intelligence, a new technology whose governance “requires the creation of a Scientific Panel Independent International, as well as a global dialogue within the UN.”
Guterres said that developing artificial intelligence capabilities in non-industrialized countries requires defining options for your financing next year.
“I urge the G20 countries to lead, and once again, I repeat, Many of these decisions are exclusively in the hands of the G20 countries. and their presence in the governing bodies of most of our institutions," he emphasized.
Guterres acknowledged Reforms will be especially difficult in the Security Council"But we must persist," he added.
“And we must make sure that we support the necessary reforms of global governance because they are absolutely essential to rebuild trust in the world current,” concluded the Secretary General.