Monday 22 May 2023

UN Chief calls on G7 to be face of climate action

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said the world is counting on the G7 to take charge on climate action and quash emissions.

Speaking at a meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, he said the city represents a “global symbol of the tragic consequences when nations fail to work together,” following its destruction by atomic bomb during the Second World War.

However, he stated the city’s recovery is a “testament to the human spirit” – and shows that the world can recover from the impacts of climate change too.

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, US and EU make up the G7, which the UN Chief said need to lead by example of the subject of climate action.

He explained in his speech that on current projections, the world is heading for a temperature rise of 2.8°C by 2100 and the next five years are set to be the hottest ever recorded.

On the subject of climate change he said the G7 was not doing enough – “we are clearly off track,” he stressed, adding that the collection of nations are “central to climate action.”

Announcing a new agenda, he said: “It calls for all G7 countries to reach net zero as close as possible to 2040 and for emerging economies to do so as close as possible to 2050.”

He is calling on the G7 to “phase out coal completely by 2030.”

“We must ramp up adaptation and early warning systems to help communities on the front line. It’s high time for developed countries to provide the promised $100 billion (£80.3bn) per year,” he concluded.