UN chief stresses COP27 should come up with commitments to cut emissions by 45% by 2030

23 / 07 / 2022

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• Sustainable Development

United Nations Secretary General  António Guterres stressed that the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) – due to be held  in Egypt – should come up with commitments that will deliver a reduction of emissions by 45 percent by 2030 so net zero emissions can be realized by mid-century.

He made the remarks in a recent video message to Moment for Nature: High-Level Thematic Debate of the General Assembly.

“Current national commitments point to an increase of almost 14 percent this decade. That spells catastrophe,” he said.

“A healthy planet is the foundation for human well-being, sustainable development and long-term prosperity. But nature and its benefits are deteriorating worldwide,” he said.

“We face a triple crisis of climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution. One million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction, threatening the livelihood of millions. The global food system is a primary driver of this loss,” he added.

“Three-quarters of the land and two-thirds of the ocean are adversely impacted by human activity. Some 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation,” he said.

“Our ways of life – based on producing, consuming, discarding and polluting – have brought us to this dire state of affairs. But, since human activities are at the root of this planetary emergency, that means we also hold the key to the solutions. Now is the time to transform our relationship with nature and chart a new path,” he underlined.

“Key milestones lie ahead of us this year, where we can and must deliver,” he said, noting that “ Above all, we must limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Second, we must halt and reverse nature loss.”

“At the COP 15 biodiversity conference in Montreal, we need a bold, global agreement that tackles the key drivers of biodiversity loss. We need to close the biodiversity finance gap of approximately $700 billion dollars a year by 2030,” he said.

“And we must eliminate the annual $500 billion dollars of harmful subsidies and redirect them towards incentivizing biodiversity-positive activities. We must protect and enhance nature’s contributions to people,” Guterres said.

“That means ensuring essential benefits for the most vulnerable and strengthening nature’s capacity to protect communities from extreme weather events,” he said.

“Nature-based solutions – such as preserving mangroves, rainforests and other essential ecosystems – are vital. Multilateralism can provide the answers we need.

“Earlier this year, countries committed to forging an international, legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024. But we must avoid empty promises,” he stressed.

“We need to match commitments with credible and verifiable actions and the finance for implementation. Ultimately, our survival depends on it. Together, we can and must steer humanity to the path of living in harmony with the planet. Let us seize this moment for nature to do that,” he concluded.