By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK -U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva are holding a climate summit during this week’s high-level week of the U.N. General Assembly. Ahead of Brazil hosting the COP30 conference in November in Belen, Brazil – nations came forward with bold climate commitments in the wake of how urgent the climate crisis, actually is. Major economies including China – the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter and Nigeria, revealed economy-wide targets to drastically reduce emissions across all greenhouse gases and sectors, making pledges that demonstrate a more unified push toward deep decarbonization. Other nations have made commitments to scale up renewable energy, crack down on methane, protect vital forests and accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuel. EU countries are “doubling down on global partnerships,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Meanwhile, leading climate scientists Professors Johan Rockstrom and Katharine Hayhoe gave an assessment of global efforts to honor the Paris Agreement, established in 2015 whose aim is to limit global temperature warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Rockstrom who is chief scientist at Conservation International warned: “An even deeper concern is that warming appears to be accelerating, outpacing emissions.” Both said it’s still possible to meet the 1.5-degree goal giving solutions that include transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy sources and transforming food systems to eliminate waste. Hayhoe said: “We cannot prevent this catastrophe alone. But together, we can. By setting stronger targets, moving on faster timeline and making deeper commitments.”
The Paris Agreement requires governments to submit climate plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) outlining bold action for the next decade. According to U.N. chief Guterres, the Paris Agreement has played a significant role in inspiring nations to reduce their global carbon footprint. Guterres said there need to be “new plans for 2035 that go much further, and much faster.” He added that nations must be committed to “Delivering dramatic emissions cuts aligned with 1.5 degrees; covering all emissions and sectors, and accelerating a just energy transition globally.” Guterres underscored that COP30 “must conclude with a credible global response plan to get us on track” – outlining five crucial areas for action: accelerating the transition to clean energy, drastically cutting methane gas emissions, forest conservation, cutting emissions from heavy industry and guaranteeing climate justice for developing nations.
Brazil’s President Lula echoed Guterres’s sentiments as he commented “the energy transition opens the door to a productive and technological transformation comparable to the Industrial Revolution,” adding that NDCs “are the roadmap that will guide each country through this change.” Brazil has committed to decreasing all greenhouse gas emissions between 59 percent and 67 percent that covers all economic sectors, Lula explained, with continuing efforts to end deforestation by 2030.
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