The UN calls for protecting the world’s population from the effects of climate change. Simon Steele: the transition to clean energy is unstoppable Climate and environment
“Imagine a world where global warming of 5 degrees Celsius was a death sentence for humanity. This is exactly what was avoided thanks to the efforts of international climate cooperation, launched in Brazil in 1992.” With these words, the head of the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Simon Steele spoke at the Rio Branco Institute in Brasilia.
Recall that this year the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP-30) will be held in the city of Belém, Brazil. And in 1992, the so-called “Earth Summit” was held in Rio de Janeiro, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was created.
Steele stressed the need for radical changes in the fight against climate change, which, in particular, require a radical change in the existing system.
The international community is ready to cooperate
He recalled that 10 years have passed since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, and despite the division of the world, the climate negotiation process has led to tangible results. Without global climate cooperation, the world would be on track for global warming of 5 degrees Celsius, Steele noted. Now we are on track for 3 degrees of warming, which is still dangerous, but the international community is ready to cooperate in the interests of a common future, the head of the UNFCCC Secretariat believes.
“Countries and citizens want to take action, and they need the means to ensure security and grow their economies,” Steele said.
“The clean energy transition is unstoppable, with $2 trillion invested in clean energy and infrastructure last year, more than double the investment in fossil fuels,” he added.
At the same time, Steele noted that the clean energy transition is happening at different speeds, with large economies reaping significant benefits while smaller economies are lagging behind.
National Climate Plans
National climate plans, or Nationally Determined Contributions, are critical. Several major economies, including Brazil and the UK, have already unveiled new plans that cover all sectors of the economy. The targets countries set for themselves must ensure that funds are available to build clean, energy-efficient infrastructure, Steele said.
He noted that the vast majority of countries will unveil their new plans this year, ahead of the conference in Brazil, and it is important to ensure they are ambitious. At the end of the year, at the Belém summit, the world will decide on indicators to measure the planet’s protection from the impacts of climate change.
Climate finance
Climate finance is critical to protecting global supply chains and saving lives. Today, nearly half of humanity lives in “hot spots” where the impact of climate change is greatest. No one is safe, Steele noted.
Every dollar invested in adaptation to global warming saves six dollars in climate-related losses, Steele recalled. He stressed that reorienting the international financial system is a difficult but very important task.
Steele expressed confidence that Brazil, which is hosting COP30, will be able to reach key agreements in various sectors and that the international community will be able to advance in the fight against climate change. He concluded his speech with a quote from a Brazilian proverb: “Soft water wears away hard stone until it breaks through it.”