Accra, Nov. 18, GNA – UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has asked parties at the ongoing COP27 negotiations to firm up financial commitment to support developing countries to deal with loss and damage.
“The time for talking about loss and damage finance is over. We need action. No one can deny the scale of loss and damage we see around the globe. The world is burning and drowning before our eyes,” he said.
Many communities in developing countries are being swallowed up by rising sea levels while others are suffering long droughts and severe flooding due to climate change – these are described as loss and damage.
Mr Guterres, who was addressing the media ahead of the climax of the biggest UN meeting, urged parties not to deny climate justice to those who have contributed least to the climate crisis and were getting hurt the most.
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change conference, commonly referred to as COP27, is the 27th UN Change conference and is being held from 6 November to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
“Send a clear signal that the voices of those on the frontlines of the crisis are finally being heard. Reflect the urgency, scale and enormity of the challenge faced by so many developing countries,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General appealed to all parties to forcefully address the huge emissions gap, explaining that the 1.5 target was not simply about keeping a goal alive – but was about keeping people alive.
He called for a Climate Solidarity Pact, in which developed countries would take the lead in reducing emissions.
“And a Pact to mobilize – together with International Financial Institutions and the private sector – financial and technical support for emerging economies to accelerate their transition to renewable energy,” he said.
Adoption of renewable energy, he said, was the “exit ramp from the climate hell highway.”
He called on parties to develop and agree on a means to deliver the $100 billion climate finance for developing countries.
Mr Guterres told parties to act on the consensus to reform multilateral development banks and international financial institutions.
“We must have agreed solutions in front of us – to respond to loss and damage, to close the emissions gap, and to deliver on finance.
“The climate clock is ticking, and trust keeps eroding. The parties at COP27 have a chance to make a difference – here and now,” he said.
GNA