UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning to G20 leaders at their summit in Rio de Janeiro, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate climate action. Guterres stressed that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C is crucial to avoid catastrophic climate disasters, yet current policies are projected to lead to a temperature increase exceeding 3°C.
To achieve the 1.5°C target, Guterres urged G20 nations, responsible for 80% of global emissions, to accelerate their emissions reductions. This requires cutting global emissions by 9% annually throughout this decade. He emphasized the need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, highlighting their status as the cheapest source of new electricity and the inevitability of the end of the fossil fuel age. Renewables are now the cheapest new electricity source almost everywhere.
The Secretary-General called for concrete actions from G20 members, including the submission of ambitious national climate action plans with clear emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035. These plans should encompass all sectors and greenhouse gases, aligning with the goals agreed upon at COP28.
Guterres also stressed the importance of climate finance, urging developed countries to provide increased support to emerging and developing economies. He welcomed recent announcements by multilateral development banks but emphasized the need for a new, ambitious climate finance goal at COP29. Failure to agree on a new climate finance goal in Baku would be disastrous, potentially compromising the ambition of national climate action plans and jeopardizing the success of COP30 in Brazil.