HQ Team
September 21, 2023: An emergence of virulent diseases due to rising temperatures, a mass exodus of people fleeing wildfires and distressing scenes of farmers helplessly watching crops washed away are warning signals enough for governments to “hit the fast forward” on combatting climate change, the UN stated.
“Horrendous heat is having horrendous effects,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates at a New York ‘Climate Ambition’ summit.
With the eneral
“All parties must operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28,” he said. The developed countries must meet the $100 billion commitment, replenish the Green Climate Fund, and double adaptation funding.
An international treaty on the non-proliferation of fossil fuels and a global phase-out plan is needed to reach “real zero” by 2050, said Lidy Nacpil, Coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, an NGO advocating for the transition to renewable energy.
“We, the people of the Global South are not asking for aid or assistance,” she told the delegates. “Climate finance is an obligation and a part of reparations for historical and continuing harms and injustices.”
‘Turn up the tempo’
The right is “not just to survive, but to build a better home and future for our children,” she said.
Corporations and financial institutions must embark on “true net zero pathways,” with a focus on transparency and credibility in emission reduction plans, the Secretary-General said.
“Every company that truly means business must create just transition plans that credibly cut emissions and deliver climate justice,” he said.
“We can – and we must turn up the tempo.”
