UN Chief Urges Leaders of Every Country to Declare ‘Climate Emergency’

On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all countries to declare a 'climate emergency,' as world leaders on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement On climate change made largely gradual commitments in relation to the size of the crisis.

Guterres made his appeal at a summit aimed at building momentum behind the Paris agreement, bolstered in recent months by China's renewed engagement and the possibility of US President-elect Joe Biden taking the US back into the pact.  

Nevertheless, before critical talks in Glasgow in late 2021, the hundreds of politicians who spoke often gave tweaks to current commitments or assurances of bolder steps rather than breakthrough new strategies to accelerate the end of fossil fuels.

"Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency?" Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister who has made climate change his signature issue, said via video.

"That is why today, I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached."

Since the Paris agreement was struck, with the consequences of climate change increasingly high - ranging from wildfires in Australia and California to melting ice sheets - public pressure on leaders to listen to scientists' warnings has increased.

One of the clearest new promises was made by Britain, which co-hosted the summit, announcing late on Friday that it would end direct government funding for fossil fuel ventures overseas.

Campaigners hailed the move for putting pressure on other G7 economies to restrict support for oil and gas companies, reeling from the impact of Covid-19.

Pledges to back Paris from countries such as India, Germany and France were welcomed less in terms of substance and more for keeping alive hopes of faster action to meet the monumental challenge of halving global emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris deal.

DISAPPOINTMENT ON COAL

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who surprised many in September when he announced the world's biggest producer of climate-warming emissions would become carbon neutral by 2060, unveiled targets to speed the expansion of wind and solar power.

"China always honours its commitments," Xi said.

But China showed no signs of bowing to calls from Guterres and campaigners to wind down finance for new coal-fired power plants, a major source of emissions.

Japan and South Korea, which both pledged in October to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, likewise made no commitments on coal finance - though they did pledge to submit more ambitious emissions targets under the Paris accord.