UN Secretary-General reprimands nations at COP29 climate summit

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Pay up or humanity will pay the price!»

In a never-ending incantation, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, urged world leaders gathered in Baku for the Climate Action Summit (COP29) on Tuesday to take immediate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect populations from the climate chaos, and «tear down the walls of climate financing» in response to the «climate destruction» witnessed by the world in 2024.

Palace of Nations or Palace of Incantations?

It is often humorous rhetoric, which echoes in the press room of the large Geneva-based house, or international journalists and correspondents repeat the always-highly anticipated statement of the Secretary-General, such as the «dance of the rain or the magic potion out of the cauldron.» The day before, the head of the UN organization’s statement rang out again: «The sound you hear is the ticking of the clock. We are in the final countdown to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (Celsius). And time is not on our side,» he warned.

In his opening speech at the World Leaders« Summit for Climate Action, the ministerial segment of the COP29 that officially opened on Tuesday in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, António Guterres proved it by indicating that it is »almost« certain that 2024 will be the hottest year ever recorded. »No country is spared by climate destruction,« he reminded, once again recalling the world’s lack of memory by listing the direct consequences of this disruption: repeated hurricanes, boiling seas, crops devastated by drought, »all of which are being fueled by human-caused climate change.”.

An avoidable injustice?

Then to develop what is no longer a secret to anyone: in the whirlwind of the global economy, supply chain shocks are increasing costs everywhere; decimated harvests are driving food prices globally; destroyed homes are increasing insurance premiums. «This is the story of an avoidable injustice.« The rich are the cause of the problem and the poor pay the heavy price for it », the head of the UN argued, noting in passing that the NGO Oxfam notes that in parallel, The richest billionaires emit more carbon in an hour and a half than an average person does in an entire lifetime.

Then he added: «Unless emissions fall and adaptation picks up sharply, all economies will face a much greater backlash.».

A declaration worthy of a sermon in the desert, but whatever.

Reasons to hope?

«But there are all the reasons to hope,» continued the Secretary-General in front of an impassive assembly, emphasizing as a reminder the strong measures taken last year at the Climate Conference held in the United Arab Emirates.

Indeed, at COP28, still paved with good intentions, all participating countries had «agreed» to abandon fossil fuels, accelerate the deployment of net-zero energy systems by setting milestones to achieve them, boost climate adaptation, and finally align the next series of national climate plans – or NCPs – with the 1.5-degree Celsius limit set in Paris. Signed, sealed, delivered.

Then to hammer home the point that ’it is time to act,« noting in passing that a survey conducted by the University of Oxford and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had revealed that 80 % of the people in the world wanted more action on climate change. Moreover, »scientists, activists, and young people demand change – they must be heard and not silenced.« So far, nothing new under the scorching sun.

More interesting, though unsupported by any evidence-based study, the UN chief then stated that last year for the first time, the amount of investment in networks and renewable energy exceeded that in fossil fuels, and that today, almost everywhere, solar and wind energy remains the cheapest source of electricity. «Doubling the investment in fossil fuels is absurd. The revolution in clean energy is underway. No group, no company, no government can stop it. But you can and must ensure that it is equitable and fast enough to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius,» he commanded the world’s leaders, while further pointing out the responsibility precisely on the global economy and those who make it… From the egg or the chicken?

Three priorities, as at every COP?

Given all these highly demonstrative elements, António Guterres stated that «developing countries must not leave Baku empty-handed» while urging the major polluters present at the COP29 to focus on three «immediate» areas of action:

1. Urgent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions – by reducing emissions by 9 % each year to reach 43 levels % of 2019 by 2030. This is the clearest path to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

2. Doing more to protect populations from the ravages of the climate crisis. The gap between adaptation needs and funding could reach $359 billion per year by 2030. The missing dollars are not abstractions on a balance sheet; they are lost lives, and crops and developments that have been denied.

3. Breaking down the walls of climate finance by adopting a new funding target This includes a significant increase in concessional public financing; a clear indication of how public financing will mobilize the billions of dollars that developing countries need; the use of innovative sources; the establishment of a framework for greater accessibility, transparency, and accountability; and the increase in lending capacity for larger and more daring multilateral development banks.

Again, this is an act that, although the three measures outlined have only the appeal of a copy of previous gatherings.

Pay or pay the price?

« Regarding the funding for combating climate change, the world must pay; otherwise humanity will pay the price,» insisted the UN Secretary-General. But who is the world? The producer? The importer? The final seller or buyer?

Also, let us remind world leaders that «you and your governments must be guided by a clear truth: Financing the fight against climate change is not charity; it is an investment ; Climate action is not optional; it is an imperative. These two elements are indispensable to guarantee a livable world for all of humanity. And a prosperous future for all nations of the planet.

Amen.