Climate Emergency: G 20 nations need to be determined enablers says Ban Ki Moon

G20 members account for almost 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, says a report of the UN.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki Moon has exhorted the G 20 member nations to act as determined enablers and catalysts at the time of climate emergency. He is presently Vice Chairperson of The Elders (https://www.theelders.org/who-we-are), an independent forum of senior eminent personalities founded by Nelson Mandela.

“The G20 nations need to be the determined enablers and catalysts of a just climate economic transition,” said Ban Ki-moon. He has served as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations from January 2007 to December 2016. Moon is credited to have laid down the foundations for climate action and development perspective for the 21st century. It was during his tenure the 193 member countries of the United Nations agreed on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015 and Paris Climate Accord 2016. Supporting his statement, The Elders gave a call to G20 leaders to act on climate action (#climate action) and deliver on commitments to support poorer nations & communities with a just transition.

“The #G20 nations need to be the determined enablers and catalysts of a just climate economic transition." - Ban Ki-moonThe Elders call on G20 leaders to take #ClimateAction and deliver on commitments to support poorer nations & communities with a just transition. #COP25 pic.twitter.com/o9z0q5lJmz

— The Elders (@TheElders) December 4, 2019

 

His statement came at a time when the world leaders and Climate Change activists are gathered at UN Climate Change Conference 2019 (COP 25) in Madrid to implement the Paris Agreement.

According to the 2019 Emissions Gap Report, the G20 members, account for almost 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, are not taking on transformative climate commitments at the necessary breadth and scale. The 2018 Emissions Gap Report had also highlighted that around half of the G20 nations’ GHG emissions trajectories fall short of achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. Taken as a whole, the current NDCs are nowhere near enough to meet the 1.5°C or below 2°C temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.

In his opening address to COP 25 on December 2, the incumbent Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres also warned about catastrophic temperature rise of well over 3°C this century and fear of missing the target set in the Paris Agreement.

Meanwhile at COP 25 (#COP25), the Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ms. Patricia Espinosa has urged the countries to promote travel and tourism sector. “The travel and tourism sector, with its significant economic and social benefits, has no choice but to transform to survive and thrive in face of climate change in helping the USD 8.8 trillion industry to go,”. The COP 25 will conclude on December 13.