UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres has made an impassioned appeal for the world to
intensify action to combat climate change and implement the Paris
Agreement to limit carbon emissions as President Donald Trump debates
whether the US will withdraw from the accord.
Gutteres
never mentioned the American leader by name in his speech at New York
University's Stern School of Business, his first major address on
climate change since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1.
But he said in response to a question afterward that the United Nations
believes "it would be important for the US not to leave the Paris
agreement."
Even if Trump withdraws, Guterres said, "it's very
important for US society as a whole - the cities, the states, the
companies, the businesses - to remain engaged."
Trump, who was
critical of the deal during his campaign for the presidency, is expected
to make an announcement this week on whether the United States will
remain a party to the climate accord that his predecessor, Barack Obama,
strongly supported and signed.
Nearly 200 nations agreed in 2015
to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As of Tuesday, 147
nations had ratified the Paris Agreement, representing more than 82
percent of global emissions, the UN chief said.
Italian
Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) welcomes Secretary General of the
United Nations Antonio Guterres as he arrives at the Hotel San Domenico
on the second day of the G7 summit of Heads of State and of Government,
in Taormina, Sicily, on May 27, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
Guterres
said their pledges to limit the global temperature rise to below 2
degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius "are
historic - but still do not go nearly far enough to limit temperature
rise."
First, Guterres said he will immediately press for
ratification of the Kigali Amendment agreed to in October by nearly 200
nations on limiting the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - greenhouse
gases far more powerful than carbon dioxide that are depleting the ozone
layer.
Unlike the Paris Agreement, the Kigali Amendment to the
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is legally
binding.
It caps and reduces the use of HFCs in a gradual process
starting with action by developed countries in 2019, including the
United States, the world's second-worst polluter, and then by over 100
developing countries starting in 2024, including China, the world's top
carbon emitter.
Guterres said he will also rally countries to
raise the bar on efforts to limit temperature rise and the United
Nations system to promote climate action.
Guterres also pledged to
work with developing countries to mobilize resources to tackle the
impact of climate change and strengthen efforts by small island states
against "the existential threat" that global warming poses.
He said he will strengthen North-South, South-South and other partnerships to implement the Paris Agreement.
The
secretary general announced that he intends to hold a climate summit in
2019 to review implementation of the Paris Agreement.
"The
journey from Paris is well underway," Guterres said. "The support across
all sectors of society is profound. The transition in the real economy
is a fact. There will be bumps along the path ... but with everyone's
participation, the world can bring the Paris Agreement fully to life."
(Source: AP)
Comments
Post a Comment