B/N: UN: "We have never been better equipped to fight climate change"

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, stating that while humanity faces unprecedented environmental crises, it has never been better prepared to confront them. Guterres issued an urgent call to action during the opening of the event, which will address crucial issues for the future of nations.

Transcript

00:00The pressing climate crisis, that is what we're seeing right now, and the president of Brazil,

00:06Luis Inés Luda da Silva, decided to summon this summit just days before the official UN

00:13gathering for negotiations on climate summits. And in that case, we are seeing that this is

00:22opening right at this moment. We were saying and listening to specialists who had been addressing

00:30the audience just for the past minutes. We've also been seeing images of the different heads of state

00:38that have arrived in Belém do Pará. They have been greeted by the president of Brazil,

00:45Luis Inés Luda da Silva, for the past hours. And at this moment, we are just about to listen to the

00:53president of Brazil address this opening of this summit at this moment. Let's recall we are looking

01:01at live images right now. These are the images from Belém do Pará, the Amazonian city. Let's recall

01:13that it was important for the Brazilian government to be able to hold this summit in this city in

01:22particular because of the relevance of the Amazon to this discussion. Let's listen to Secretary General

01:27Antonio Guterres.

01:28...multilateralism in a moment when our world is at risk. President Lula.

01:34...I could not agree more. And the hard truth is that we have failed to ensure we remain below 1.5 degrees.

01:46Science now tells us that the temporary overshoot between the 1.5 limit, starting at the latest in the

01:54early 2030s, is inevitable. We need a paradigm shift to limit this overshoot's magnitude and duration

02:03and quickly drive it down. Even a temporary average overshoot will have dramatic consequences.

02:10It could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and

02:20amplify threats to peace and security. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement and loss,

02:28especially for those least responsible. This is moral failure and deadly negligence.

02:36Yes, the newly submitted nationally determined contributions represent progress, but they

02:43are still far short of what is needed. Even if fully implemented, they would put us on a

02:49pathway well above 2 degrees of global warming. Meanwhile, the climate crisis accelerated. Record-breaking

02:58wildfires, deadly floods, super storms, shattering lives, economies and decades of progress.

03:06Last year, emissions reached another record high. And today, as we have seen, the World Meteorological

03:13Organization confirmed confirmed that the emissions continue to rise this year. Let us be clear,

03:20the 1.5 degrees limit is a red line for humanity. It must be kept within reach. And scientists also tell us

03:30that this is still possible. If we act now, at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short,

03:40and as safe as possible, and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees Celsius before centuries end.

03:49Small, by picking global emissions immediately, cutting them deeply this decade, accelerating the phase out of

03:57fossil fuels, slashing methane and safeguarding forests and oceans, nature's carbon sinks. Short, by reaching global

04:08net zero by 2050 and moving swiftly to sustain net negative emissions afterwards. And safe, by drastically

04:18increasing investments in adaptation and resilience, and delivering early warnings for all by 2027.

04:26Excellencies, the United Nations will not give up on the 1.5 degrees goal.

04:32Because another truth is evident. We have never been better equipped to fight back. A clean energy

04:40revolution has taken hold. Solar and wind are now the cheapest sources of power and the fastest growing

04:48sources of electricity in history. Last year, almost all new power capacity came from renewables. The clean energy

04:58economy is creating jobs and driving development. It is reshaping geopolitics, delivering energy security and price

05:08stability. And it is connecting millions to clean and affordable energy for the first time. The economics have

05:17shifted. In 2024, investors poured 2 trillion US dollars into clean energy, 800 billion more than fossil fuels.

05:29Clean energy is winning in price, performance and potential, offering the solutions to transform our economies

05:37and protect our populations. What is still missing is political courage. Fossil fuels still command vast subsidies,

05:48taxpayers' money. Too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation,

05:55with billions spent on lobbying, deceiving the public and obstructing progress. And too many leaders

06:03are losing hope that their leaders will act. We need to move faster and move together. And this COP must

06:24ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery. First countries must agree on a bold and credible response plan

06:33to close the NDC ambition gap to 1.5 degrees. Common but differentiated responsibilities must apply.

06:42But that should not be an excuse for any country not to assume its fair share. This means supercharging

06:49renewables, electrification and energy efficiency, building modern grids and large-scale storage,

06:56halting and reversing deforestation by 2030, cutting methane emissions and setting near-term 1.5-aligned coal phase-out

07:08schedules. I have consistently advocated against more coal plants or fossil fuel exploration and expansion.

07:16At COP28 in Dubai countries committed to transition away from fossil fuels. No more greenwashing,

07:25no loopholes. We must turn that committing into action while supporting low- and middle-income

07:31developing countries that are highly dependent on fossil fuels. And we must also dismantle structural

07:38barriers and provide the conditions for developing countries to deliver and exceed their NDC commitments.

07:46Trade and investment policies must support climate ambition, not undermine it. Second, we must demonstrate a

07:57clear and credible path to reaching the 1.3 trillion US dollars a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035,

08:06as agreed at COP29 in Baku. Developed countries must take the lead in mobilizing 300 billion dollars annually,

08:15delivering affordable, predictable finance at the agreed scale. And all providers must show they will

08:21contribute to meeting the 300 billion and 1.3 trillion milestones. It's no longer time for negotiations.

08:30It's time for implementation, implementation, implementation. With independent tracking, faster disbursement,

08:39and terms that reflect climate vulnerability, including debt relief. And third, developing countries must leave

08:47Berlin equipped with a climate justice package that delivers equity, dignity, and opportunity. That means

08:55the concrete plan to close the adaptation finance gap, ensuring that developed countries honor their pledge

09:02to provide 40 billion US dollars adaptation finance by the end of this year, and giving confidence that

09:09affordable adaptation finance will be scaled up beyond 2025 and delivered swiftly to the communities on the

09:17front lines. It also means placing justice at the art of the transition, with concrete measures to support

09:24developing countries to navigate it, protecting workers, empowering communities, and creating new opportunities.

09:32And significant contributions and simplified access to the loss and damage fund. A just transition also means

09:40indigenous peoples leading the way. Their knowledge and full participation light the paths to a livable planet.

09:49Excellencies, you can count on the United Nations. Through our climate promise, over 100 developing countries received support

09:58in the preparation of the new nationally determined contributions. I've directed the United Nations development program

10:06to build on this architecture and work across the system to support developing countries during the implementation plan.

10:14The challenge is immense, but the choices are clear. No one can bargain with physics, but we can choose to lead

10:23or be led to ruin. Choose to make Belen the turning point, stand with science, stand for justice, stand for future generations, and I thank you.

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