© Unsplash/Michu Dang Quang Emissions associated with generating electricity to run air conditioners contribute to global warming. “It’s time to put our own house in order” and step up our promotion of renewable energy, the UN Secretary-General said during Climate Action Week in London. Climate crisis: UN chief presents plan for transition to clean energy Daniel Johnson, Geneva Climate and Environment
Speaking in London on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for stronger global action to combat climate change caused by fossil fuel use. He warned that this was necessary to prevent irreversible consequences.
In his keynote speech at Climate Action Week, which opened in the UK capital, the head of the UN emphasized that the world’s dependence on oil not only accelerates the climate crisis, but also undermines the energy sovereignty of states. As an example, he cited widespread disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
“These crises may seem unrelated, but they have a common source: fossil fuels. And the answer is the same: a rapid and just transition to clean energy, as well as a massive increase in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing the consequences of climate change,” Guterres said. layer.
In brief: the UN plan to achieve energy independence
– reduce emissions in a short time: they must peak now and decrease to zero by 2050, including through global emissions reduction methane;
– accelerate clean energy development: continue to increase the use of renewable energy sources, stop subsidizing fossil fuel projects and impose additional taxes on the windfall profits of companies in this sector to support vulnerable communities and the energy transition; 2030;
– ensure a just transition: create jobs, support local communities and recognize benefits for developing countries;
– build resilience to climate shocks: increase investment in adaptation, early warning systems and protection of the most vulnerable;
– ensure equitable financing: expand developing countries’ access to low-cost financing for the transition to clean energy and sustainable development;
– Defend science and truth: strengthen trust in scientific evidence, combat climate misinformation, and support environmental journalists and human rights activists.
Approaching dangerous climate frontiers
It’s been more than a decade since world leaders In Paris, they agreed to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, an unprecedented example of international unity under the auspices of the UN.
Today, UN-supported scientists warn that average annual temperatures are likely to exceed this threshold in the coming years.
“Every fraction of a degree matters,” the Secretary General emphasized.
He warned of irreversible destruction of coral reefs, melting glaciers, changing coastlines and the displacement of millions of people. According to him, there is a real risk that some small island states could disappear under water. Celsius.
Energy shock
Speaking about the situation in the Middle East, Guterres noted that any peace agreement would bring relief. He recalled a 60-day pause in hostilities to allow negotiations between Iran and the United States to continue in Switzerland.
However, the current crisis, according to the UN chief, has already caused an energy shock comparable to the oil crisis of the 1970s and the consequences of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory.
The consequences were especially severe for developing countries. “This is a debt shock, a food shock and a development shock,” he said.
Renewables
At the same time, Guterres emphasized that today, unlike all previous energy crises, there is a clear path
Since 2010, the cost of solar power has fallen by nearly 90 percent, onshore wind by more than 70 percent, and energy storage by 95 percent.
The development of renewable sources has already avoided more carbon dioxide emissions than total annual emissions, the UN chief says. USA, European Union and Japan.
Investment in clean energy today is almost twice that of fossil fuels.
“Sunlight cannot be embargoed and wind cannot be blocked,” said the Secretary-General. actions:
1. Stop rising emissions immediately and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. A special responsibility lies with the G20 countries, which account for about 80 percent of global emissions.
“The world has abandoned leaded gasoline. We’ve eliminated the substances that destroy the ozone layer. Methane should be next.”
2. Accelerate the development of clean energy and abandon government support for new projects related to fossil fuels.
The UN chief noted that the industry’s eight largest companies made an additional $6.5 billion in profits in the first quarter of this year alone, and called on governments to tax those profits.
3. Require large AI companies to assess and publish the full environmental footprint of data centers – emissions, water consumption and land use – and ensure they switch to renewable energy by 2030.
The UN estimates that by that time data centers could consume enough water to meet the basic needs of sub-Saharan Africa’s 1.3 billion people within years.
4. Support the clean energy transition in a way that benefits workers, local communities and developing countries. The UN Climate Conference COP-31 in Turkey should play an important role in this process.
5. Protect the most vulnerable populations through adaptation and early warning systems.
Developed countries, Guterres stressed, must fulfill the long-standing commitment to double adaptation funding and gradually triple it.
6. Ensure equitable financing of the energy transition.
Many developing countries face borrowing costs two to three times higher than developed economies.
African countries have 60 percent of the world’s best solar resources, but receive only two percent of global investment in clean energy, the UN chief says. energy.
He also pointed to the opportunity to expand the lending capacity of multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, by $600–800 billion.
Developed countries, he added, must fulfill promises to finance the Loss and Damage Compensation Fund and the Green Climate Fund, as well as ensure that the commitment to mobilize 1.3 trillion dollars annually by 2035.
7. Defend science and fight disinformation.
“Disinformation is spread intentionally to stall climate action, protect private interests and undermine trust,” Guterres warned.
He also called for protecting journalists and human rights activists working on climate and the environment and strengthening trust in scientific evidence and institutes.