UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday considered the US-China announcement to strengthen climate cooperation an “important step in the right direction, but it is far from sufficient.”
This came in a speech before the United Nations climate conference in Scotland, which concludes on Friday.
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On Wednesday, a joint statement issued by Washington and Beijing said, “We reached agreement on strengthening climate action,” adding that the two countries “reaffirmed their commitment to work together to advance the implementation of the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement.”
Commenting on the agreement, Guterres said, “I welcome the cooperation agreement between the United States and China yesterday, and consider it an important step in the right direction.”
But the promises seem hollow when the fossil fuel industry still receives trillions in subsidies, and countries continue to build coal plants.
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“The announcement here in Glasgow (of the US-China deal) is encouraging, but far from sufficient as the emissions gap remains a devastating threat,” Guterres added.
He continued, “We need more ambition, and we need commitments that are implemented, tangible commitments, and verifiable measures.”
On October 31, the work of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference kicked off in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
It was among the parties (states, international organizations, institutions concerned with climate) to accelerate work towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
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Among the goals of the “COP26” summit, which will run until November 12, is to secure global net zero emissions by mid-century, and to maintain global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees, compared to the 3.5 degrees expected under current emissions.
