António Guterres is speaking at the Sixth Austrian World Summit on the Climate Crisis, convened by the Austrian Government and the former Governor of California and by Hollywood actor turned climate activist, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mr. Guterres repeated his call to the top G20 economies.”dismantling coal infrastructurewith complete elimination by 2030 for OECD countries and by 2040 for all other countries. ”
Renewable Energy: The 21st Century Peace Plan
He said renewable energy was the “peace plan of the 21st century” and called for fossil fuel finance to be abandoned wholesale, in favor of green alternatives.
And I urge all financial institutions to abandon fossil fuel finance and invest in renewable energy.
“The only real path to energy security, stable electricity prices, prosperity, and a livable planet is to abandon polluting fossil fuels, especially coal, and promote the energy transition based on renewable energy“, he declared.
The window to stem the worst effects of the climate crisis is closing rapidly, the head of the United Nations warns, and to keep the 1.5-degree target of limiting global warming within reach. , emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030, with net emissions to zero by 2050.
“But current national commitments would lead to an increase of nearly 14% this decade”, he said, while energy-related CO2 emissions increased by 6% just last year, “when they should be down”.
Not good enough
Let me be blunt: most national climate commitments simply aren’t good enough. This is not just my point of view. Science and public opinion are giving timid climate policies a huge sign of failure.
“We are witnessing a historic and dangerous disconnect – Science and citizens are demanding ambitious and transformative climate action. Meanwhile, many governments are dragging their feet.
He said dire consequences would be the consequence, with almost half of the world’s population already in the “danger zone”.
Mixture is broken
And, at a time when we should all fight together for our lives, pointless wars are tearing us apart,” he added. “The energy crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine has seen a double the risk to fossil fuels of major economies. War has reinforced a horrifying lesson: our energy mix is broken. ”
Paradoxically, cheaper, fairer and more reliable energy options should be developed earlier and faster, including wind and solar, he said.
“If we had invested massively in renewables before, we wouldn’t have been so surprised by the volatility of the fossil fuel market.”
Solar and battery power have dropped in price by 85% over the past decade, while wind power has become 55% cheaper.
“On the other hand, oil and gas have hit record prices. And investing in renewable energy generates More than three times more jobs than fossil fuels”, argued the Secretary-General.
Solution now
To counter today’s new economic shocks, he reiterated five point plan action on renewable energy.
The first daymaking renewable energy technology a global public good, including removing intellectual property barriers to technology sharing.
Mondayimprove access to the global supply chain for renewable energy technology components and raw materials.
The third dayRed tape reforms are holding back the renewable manufacturing revolution.
Wednesdayshift in energy subsidies from fossil fuels to renewables, while addressing the potential consequences for the most vulnerable.
And fifth, investment in renewable energy tripled.
