Scientists believe that climate change is leading to an increase in extreme weather.
Today, UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the launch of UNDP's Climate Promise 2025 initiative. He noted the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and called on countries to seize the opportunity to work together with the support of the United Nations to make the next round of national climate action plans work.
2025 Climate Pledge
At the heart of the 2025 Climate Pledge is to help governments develop new national climate action plans that meet the 1.5C limit. Prior to this, the initiative has made proud progress in working with 128 countries. The 2025 Climate Pledge will have more partners, provide more targeted support, and focus more on linking sustainability to climate action.
In his speech, Guterres recalled the importance of national climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and stressed that "if implemented properly, national climate action plans can both become national investment plans and strengthen national development plans" that can provide billions of people with access to clean energy, promote health, increase jobs, and promote equality.
He also highlighted the complexity of national climate action plans, and the 2025 Climate Pledge initiative is the UN's response to global climate action.
Survival
Guterres stressed: "Whether global warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius is an existential critical moment. ”
He pointed out that the data showed that March was the hottest month on record, and it was the tenth consecutive month with high temperature records. The devastation caused by climate chaos is widening, with disasters such as heavy rainfall, coral bleaching, and droughts occurring around the world.
"Humans already emit more than 40 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide a year, and if nothing is done, global warming will soon exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit," he added. "National climate action plans are critical to turning the tide, and they must meet the science-based target of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 compared to 2019.
Take action
Guterres highlighted fossil fuels and deforestation as two key drivers of climate chaos. By 2030, countries must stop deforestation, triple renewable energy capacity, and reduce the share of fossil fuel electricity generation to 30% from the current 60%. OECD countries need to phase out coal by 2030, while others need to phase out coal by 2040.
"There must be no loopholes, no retreats, no compromises in the climate action plan," he said. "This means that countries need to set clear, bold emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035 and cover all major emitting sectors, especially energy.
He encouraged countries to take full advantage of all the opportunities offered by the initiative and called on donor countries to provide matching funding to maximize impact. The G20, which accounts for about 80% of global emissions, must play a leading role in increasing financial and technical support for developing countries.
In particular, Guterres stressed: "This year, we must get finance flowing and galvanize ambition for climate action." In addition to the need for developed countries to meet their financing commitments, he also mentioned measures such as debt relief, reforming the business model of multilateral development banks, and exploring new sources of funding, such as a windfall tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies.
