UN issues urgent climate appeal at COP29 in Azerbaijan
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed the need for all countries to commit and make every effort to solve the climate crisis, adding that there are many factors that need to be taken into account to strengthen capacities and define responsibilities.
Speaking at the COP29 Climate Change Conference on Tuesday, Guterres noted the need to use technology in addition to supporting developing and emerging countries, and that every country must have the resources and tools to take effective climate action.
He added that the UN stands ready to support these efforts every step of the way, saying: “We are trying to achieve equity in the green revolution through a safe green transition, and of course at the end of the day you can do more than that and also fulfil all the hopes and aspirations. Only you can achieve all these goals of keeping the temperature below one and a half degrees Celsius. You must do more to protect your people from the effects of climate change.
There are many risks from rising temperatures, and there is a large gap that needs to be reduced, and investing billions of dollars is the most important solution,” he continued, adding: ‘These dollars are not just numbers on paper, they affect people’s lives and development needs to be encouraged.
‘There are more promises that need to be fulfilled, and we need to drive green transformation and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We need more climate action plans from countries to identify financial needs. We need everyone on the planet to solve this crisis.