LONDON: UN secretary-general António Guterres has urged the governments around the world to declare a state of climate emergency until the world has reached net-zero CO2 emissions.
He expressed his views while speaking at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020. The one-day virtual gathering aimed at building momentum for much steeper cuts in planet-warming emissions on the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
At least 38 countries have already declared such a state of emergency, often owing to their vulnerability to the impacts of climate breakdown, which are already being felt. “Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency?” Guterres said, adding, “I urge all others to follow.”
Guterres said that economic recovery packages launched in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic represented an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.
“So far, the members of the G-20 are spending 50 percent more in their stimulus and rescue packages on sectors linked to fossil fuel production and consumption, than on low-carbon energy,” he added.
Declaring an emergency would require countries to step up their actions on greenhouse gas emissions urgently. An increasing number of governments have a target to reach net zero emissions by around the mid-century, but few have detailed plans on how to get there.
“This is unacceptable. The trillions of dollars needed for COVID recovery is money that we are borrowing from future generations. This is a moral test. We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet,” he added.
The UK has come forward with a goal of cutting emissions by 68% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Many other countries, including China, Japan and South Korea, have come forward with longer-term goals of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 or 2060.
