COP26: Enough of ‘treating nature like a toilet’ – Guterres brings stark call for climate action to Glasgow

It was a grey and windy morning, arsenic dozens of satellite leaders arrived astatine the Scottish Event Campus, of the cardinal United Nations clime conference, successful the metropolis of Glasgow.

Since 6.30am, agelong lines of radical gathered astatine the gates to get their accreditations, and walk done choky security, which included presenting impervious of antagonistic COVID-19 tests.

Journalists from each implicit the satellite acceptable to enactment broadside by broadside successful the lawsuit halls, equipped with a big of microphones, cameras, lights and signaling equipment.

The signifier was acceptable to perceive from Heads of State arsenic COP26 got underway, including the co-host, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of the United Kingdom, US President Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“We privation the Heads of State to beryllium existent leaders, and for them to ignite alteration and measurement up during COP26”, Juan Pablo Sierra, a young clime activistic from NGO United for Climate Action, told UN News conscionable earlier the ceremonial started.

Juan Sierra

Long lines to participate the COP26 venue successful Glasgow, Scotland.

Keynote speeches

The archetypal to talk astatine the ceremonial which started astatine 12.30 p.m. section time, was the UK’s Boris Johnson, who made a examination betwixt the clime crisis, and a doomsday instrumentality featured successful 1 of the James Bond movies, changeable connected acceptable successful Glasgow.

“We request to marque this COP26 the infinitesimal we get existent astir clime change. We tin get real”, helium said, advocating for the extremity of ember and the greening of transport.

“COP26 volition not, and cannot be, the extremity of the communicative of clime change”, helium added, emphasizing that the enactment volition not end, adjacent if the league finishes with the needed commitments.

“We mightiness not consciousness similar James Bond, oregon look similar James Bond, but COP26 indispensable beryllium the commencement of defusing that bomb. Yes, it is going to beryllium hard, but yes, we tin bash it”, helium concluded.

Two young activists followed connected from the Prime Minister, calling connected leaders for bold action.

“You each person the powerfulness unneurotic to beryllium better, to retrieve that successful your words you person the weapons that tin prevention america oregon merchantability america out. You don’t request my symptom oregon my tears to extremity the crisis. We are not conscionable victims of this crisis, we are resilient agents of hope. We are not drowning, we are fighting”, they said.

Then, Secretary-General António Guterres took the podium with a blunt opening message: “the six years since the Paris Climate Agreement person been the six hottest years connected record.  Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink”

“We look a commencement choice. Either we halt it - oregon it stops us”, helium added, delivering 5 cardinal messages to satellite leaders.

Climate Visuals Countdown/Andrew Watson

A star powerfulness presumption successful Andalusia, Southern Spain.

1.     It’s clip to accidental ‘enough’

“Enough of brutalizing biodiversity, sidesplitting ourselves with carbon, treating quality similar a toilet, burning, and drilling and mining our mode deeper.”

“We are digging our ain graves”, Mr. Guterres said, adding that our satellite is changing earlier our eyes from melting glaciers, to relentless utmost upwind events.

He reminded that sea-level emergence is treble the complaint it was 30 years ago, that oceans are hotter than ever, and that parts of the Amazon Rainforest present emit much c than they absorb.

“Recent clime enactment announcements mightiness springiness the content that we are connected way to crook things around. This is an illusion”, helium stated, referring to the latest study connected nationalist plans to trim emissions, known arsenic NDCs, which indicates that adjacent erstwhile afloat met, the effect would inactive condemn our satellite to a “calamitous” 2.7- grade increase.

“And adjacent if the caller pledges were wide and credible - and determination are superior questions astir immoderate of them - we are inactive careening towards clime catastrophe. So, arsenic we unfastened this overmuch anticipated clime conference, we are inactive heading for clime disaster”, helium emphazised.

ADB/Ariel Javellana

Ulaanbaatar successful Mongolia is 1 of the astir polluted cities successful the world.

2. Keeping the 1.5 degrees extremity alive

The UN main called for greater ambition connected mitigation and contiguous factual enactment to trim planetary emissions by 45 per cent by 2030; an effort that should beryllium led by developed countries.

“G20 countries person a peculiar work arsenic they correspond astir 80 per cent of emissions”, helium said, making wide however, that emerging economies indispensable besides spell the other mile.

“We request maximum ambition – from each countries connected each fronts – to marque Glasgow a success”, helium added.

Mr. Guterres urged nations to physique coalitions to make the fiscal and technological conditions to accelerate decarbonization of the system and the signifier retired of coal.  

Also, referring to a cardinal negotiating contented during this COP26, the Secretary-General said that countries indispensable revisit their nationalist clime plans and policies, not each 5 years, but each year, if commitments autumn abbreviated by the extremity of COP26.

“There is simply a shortage of credibility and a surplus of disorder implicit emissions reductions and nett zero targets, with antithetic meanings and antithetic metrics”, helium said, announcing the constitution of a Group of Experts to suggest wide standards to measurement and analyse nett zero commitments from non-State actors.

UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, has formally begun successful Glasgow. (31 October 2021)

3. We indispensable bash much to support susceptible communities

Over the past decade, astir 4 cardinal radical suffered climate-related disasters, and the devastation volition lone grow, said the UN chief.

Mr. Guterres highlighted that adaption measures work, and that aboriginal informing systems arsenic good arsenic climate-smart agriculture and infrastructure, prevention lives and jobs.

“All donors indispensable allocate fractional their clime concern to adaptation. Public and multilateral improvement banks should commencement arsenic soon arsenic possible”, helium said.

4. COP indispensable beryllium a infinitesimal of solidarity

The UN main reiterated his telephone for a $100 cardinal clime concern committedness successful enactment of processing countries, to go a reality.

He said delivering connected that committedness made astatine COP15 successful Copenhagen, was captious to reconstruct spot and credibility, but beyond that, processing countries request acold greater resources to combat COVID-19, physique resilience and prosecute sustainable development.

“Those suffering the astir – namely, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – request urgent funding. More nationalist clime finance.  More overseas improvement aid.  More grants.  Easier entree to funding”, helium urged.

OCHA/Danielle Parry

Extreme upwind events are devastating galore countries, including Fiji which was deed by a cyclone successful 2016.

5.  Build connected progress

A fig of countries person made credible commitments to nett zero emissions by mid-century, whitethorn person pulled the plug connected planetary financing of coal, and implicit 700 cities are starring the mode to c neutrality, helium said.

The Secretary-General said the backstage assemblage is besides waking up and gathering caller alliances to catalyse change.

“The clime enactment service - led by young radical - is unstoppable. They are larger.  They are louder.  And, I guarantee you, they are not going away. I basal with them”, helium said.

Mr. Guterres warned that we are accelerated approaching tipping points that volition trigger escalating feedback loops of planetary heating, but investing successful the nett zero, climate-resilient economy, volition make feedback loops of its ain — virtuous circles of sustainable growth, jobs and opportunity. 

“On behalf of this and aboriginal generations, I impulse you: Choose ambition. Choose solidarity. Choose to safeguard our aboriginal and prevention humanity”, helium concluded.