Posted on Sep 23, 2019 at 7:00 a.m.
The “Climate action summit” which is being held this Monday in New York, at the headquarters of the United Nations, is vital. He will witness the commitment of heads of state and government to truly fight against global warming. In view of the deforestation underway in Amazonia and Indonesia and recent natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, etc.), the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, will put pressure on the States so that they raise their ambitions. In particular on their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions responsible for the current climate change.
Waiting for concrete plans
In the eyes of the Secretary General, it is important to step out of the comfort zone as global warming accelerates. We need “Concrete and realistic plans and not speeches”. Antonio Guterres follows in the footsteps of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon. The latter had organized a similar summit in 2014, a year before the COP21 was held in Paris which led to the adoption of the Paris Agreement. In New York, it is about laying the first steps to ensure the success of COP26, in the United Kingdom, next year. It is in fact in 2020 that each of the countries, parties to the Paris Agreement, will have to raise its national ambitions in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Antonio Guterres calls in particular for a reduction of 45% by 2030 to limit the increase in warming to 1.5 degrees. The European Union, for example, aims to lower them by 55%. Environmental NGOs are calling for a 65% reduction. “It’s an urgent call. The climate crisis could lead to the most serious crisis in history ”, alert Lucille Dufour, responsible for international policies at Réseau Action Climat, a federation of associations involved in the fight against climate change.
The green fund on the table
The New York summit, which is being held on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly, also aims to prepare for the conference, on October 24 and 25, intended to replenish the funds of the Green Fund whose objective is to transfer funds from the most advanced countries to the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2014, the fund was endowed with $ 10 billion before the withdrawal of the United States, following the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House, brought it down to $ 8 billion. The states have undertaken to replenish their reserves. Eight billion dollars is the goal to beat as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway have pledged to double their participation.
Private initiatives
On the sidelines of the New York meeting, private sector initiatives are expected to be announced. Thus, 87 large companies responsible for annual direct greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 73 coal-fired power stations will make a commitment to align their activities with what scientists consider necessary to limit the worst impacts of climate change. Danone, L’Oréal, Nestlé, Nokia, Orange, Saint-Gobain, Schneider Electric, Sodexo and Suez are among these companies.
A new IPCC report
Discussions in New York precede the launch of a new IPCC report devoted to oceans and ice formations. This report, due Wednesday, identifies a long list of devastating impacts caused by climate change. Melting glaciers, damage to biodiversity, impact on fishery resources, consequences on coastal populations and the littoral… A document sufficiently alarming to push political leaders to act. Because, as the NGOs point out, they “Still look elsewhere”. “The climate objectives of the vast majority of countries, and first and foremost the most emitting ones, are largely insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius”, warns Réseau Action Climat.
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