The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on developed countries to accelerate the implementation of the Just Energy Transition in an effort to fight climate change. Speaking at the opening of COP27 at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, Guterres said the world was approaching a point of no return against climate change. He’s also called on emerging economies to unite in assisting with moving away from coal to renewable energy.
“The science is clear. Any help of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees means achieving global zero emissions by 2050. But that 1.5 degree goal is on life support and the machines are rattling. We are getting dangerously close to the point of no return and to avoid that dire fate, all G20 countries must accelerate their transition now in this decade. Developed countries must take the lead,” says Guterres.
“Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator,” says Gueterres.
“Unless we price carbon predictably on a trajectory that gets us at least to $75 average price per ton of carbon in 2030, we simply don’t create the incentive for businesses and consumers to shift,” explain IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva.
United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayedal-Nahyan says the UAE is considered a responsible supplier of energy and it will continue playing this role for as long as the world is in need of oil and gas.
“Even if Africa contributes less than 4% of greenhouse gases, it subscribes to frugal development of carbon, resilient to climate change, for a goal of carbon neutrality in a reasonable timeframe. We are for a green transition that is equitable and just, instead of decisions that jeopardise our development, including universal access to electricity to which 600 million Africans remain deprived,” explain president of Senegal and chairperson of the African Union, Macky Sall.
Former US vice president Al Gore says there is a credibility problem.
“We have a credibility problem all of us: We’re talking and we’re starting to act, but we’re not doing enough. We must see the so-called ‘dash for gas’ for what it really is: a dash down a bridge to nowhere, leaving the countries of the world facing climate chaos and billions in stranded assets, especially here in Africa. We have to move beyond the era of fossil fuel colonialism.”
COP27 | “Climate chaos” warning as UN Summit begins
