Countries addressing a climate summit during the UN General Assembly have criticised big polluters for not doing more to tackle global warming, and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said time was running short thanks to the ‘naked greed’ of fossil fuel interests.
With the two-week UN climate summit, COP28, due to start on November 29 in Dubai, Guterres and leaders from climate-vulnerable nations implored policymakers around the world to phase out climate-warming fossil fuels.
“The move from fossil fuels to renewables is happening – but we are decades behind,” Guterres said at the start of the one-day summit. “We must make up time lost to foot-dragging, arm-twisting and the naked greed of entrenched interests raking in billions from fossil fuels.”
Guterres invited 34 countries to speak yesterday in recognition of their strong action on climate change, including Brazil, Canada, Pakistan, South Africa and the island nation of Tuvalu.
While some railed against the fossil fuel industry and countries’ continued reliance on oil, gas and coal, others highlighted the need to reform financial institutions to improve access to funding for developing nations.
From the Marshall Islands, a tropical South Pacific island nation facing land loss to rising seas, President David Kabua described his government’s struggle to prepare for a warmer world.
But “the boldest actions by my country alone are not enough,” he said. “Major emitters have failed to take these decisions, and so now we must prepare for relentless disaster.”
Those not invited to speak included the world’s two top polluters – the US and China – though US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry was in the audience. China’s UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The absence of both China and the US on the stage was conspicuous, with some climate campaigners worrying it was a sign of slow progress ahead of COP28.
“In the two months or so until COP28, we must see a significant shift in political will,” said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who leads the global climate and energy campaign for the World Wildlife Fund.
Kenyan President William Ruto urged countries to create a universal tax on fossil fuel trades, levies on aviation and maritime emissions and financial transactions to raise trillions of dollars. “Neither Africa nor the developing world stands in need of charity” from developed countries, Ruto said.
While the UAE did not speak about its national climate plans, the UAE’s COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber was scheduled to speak at the end about the country’s priorities for that two-week summit.
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