UN Secretary-General: The G20 is urgently needed to make a clear commitment to control global temperatures

United Nations News Service United Nations, July 25 -- United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement on the 25th that in order to achieve the core goal of controlling temperature rise in the Paris Agreement, the world urgently needs all members of the Group of Twenty (G20) to make "clear and unequivocal" commitments.

From 23 to 25 July, the G20 Meeting of Environment Ministers was held in Naples, Italy. The meeting failed to agree on two key issues: controlling temperature rise and phasing out coal. Guterres issued this statement on the 25th in response to this situation.

Controlling temperature rise is a core objective of the Paris Agreement, which is to strengthen the global response to the threats posed by climate change, to limit global temperature rise to less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial times, and to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Guterres pointed out that without the leadership of the G20, humanity cannot achieve the goal of controlling temperature. "Thousands of people already at the forefront of the climate crisis, as well as markets, investors and industry players, urgently need the G20 to send a clear signal that zero carbon and a climate-resilient future can be achieved."

Guterres said that goal is still achievable, but the international community must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions levels by 45% by 2030 compared to 2010.

Less than a hundred days before the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Guterres urged G20 members and leaders of all other countries to commit to achieving net zero emissions by the middle of this century and to unveil a more ambitious national climate plan for 2030 at this conference, complemented by concrete policies and actions, to truly move quickly towards a zero-carbon future.

Guterres also reiterated his urging developed countries to honour their commitments to support developing countries in addressing climate change. He called on the G7 and other developed countries to provide a range of supports to developing countries, including achieving $100 billion a year for developing countries, putting at least 50 percent of total climate finance in climate resilience and resilience-building, and aligning the climate portfolios of public and multilateral development banks with the needs of developing countries.

Developed countries pledged at the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference to provide at least $100 billion a year to developing countries by 2020 to help them meet the challenge of climate change. But that promise has so far never really been delivered. (End)

Source: China News Network