Guterres and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a closed door Casual Local weather Leaders Roundtable on Local weather Motion with a small and consultant group of heads of state and authorities.
The roundtable “will likely be an opportunity for nationwide leaders to exhibit solidarity and ambition to maintain the world’s 1.5C temperature aim inside attain,” the UN had mentioned.
Chatting with reporters right here after the roundtable, Guterres mentioned based mostly on the current commitments of member states, the world is on a “catastrophic pathway” to 2.7-degrees of heating.
“Science tells us that something above 1.5 levels can be a catastrophe. To restrict temperature rise to 1.5 levels, we want a forty five per cent lower in emissions by 2030 so we will attain carbon neutrality by mid-century,” he mentioned.
The UN chief mentioned whereas developed international locations have to take the lead of their Nationally Decided Contributions, it is usually important for a number of rising economies to go the additional mile and successfully contribute to emissions reductions.
Guterres added that he believes there’s nonetheless a protracted solution to go in relation to the discount of emissions. The G20 international locations characterize 80% of the emissions. He mentioned it could make no sense if the developed international locations which have already dedicated to internet zero in 2015 say that they’ve achieved their job on local weather motion and now it’s as much as the growing international locations, particularly rising economies, to do their bit.
Guterres added that it could additionally not make sense for rising economies to say that the developed international locations have polluted extra up to now and higher accountability to chop emissions falls on them.
“I imply these arguments are not legitimate. Everyone should do their job. Developed international locations and rising economies should be capable to contribute – all of them – for the opportunity of reaching internet zero in 2050 and a really robust discount of emissions in 2030. And we aren’t but there.
“And I hope that the contacts which are being established by completely different international locations, the US and China but additionally with India, with Europe and with completely different different key companions will enable for all these international locations to grasp that they should do the utmost with out ready for what the others are doing,” he mentioned.
China, the US, India, the EU and Russia are among the many world’s greatest carbon emitters.
Guterres mentioned the underside line is that “we want decisive motion now round internet zero commitments from all international locations and the personal sector”.
Addressing the particular problem of power, the UN chief mentioned governments should shift subsidies away from fossil fuels and progressively section out coal use.
“If all deliberate coal energy vegetation develop into operational, we is not going to solely be clearly above 1.5 levels – we will likely be properly above 2 levels. The Paris targets would go up in smoke,” he mentioned.
Whereas a forty five per cent lower in emissions is required by 2030 to restrict temperature rise to 1.5 levels, Guterres lamented that commitments by international locations up to now suggest a rise of 16 per cent in greenhouse gasoline emissions in 2030 in comparison with 2010 ranges.
“Which means until we collectively change course, there’s a excessive threat of failure of COP26,” he mentioned. The 2021 United Nations Local weather Change Convention scheduled to be held in Glasgow later this 12 months.
Guterres mentioned he requested leaders to do what is required to ensure COP26 is successful and that it marks a turning level.
Forward of COP26, the worldwide neighborhood must ship on three fronts, he mentioned, including, “First, maintaining the 1.5-degree aim inside attain. Second, delivering on the promised $100 billion {dollars} a 12 months for local weather motion in growing international locations. Third,scaling up funding for adaptation to no less than 50 per cent of complete public local weather finance.”