UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a strong message to the oil and gas industry: the pledges made at COP28 in Dubai fall well short of what’s needed to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis.
“The fossil fuel industry is finally starting to wake up, but the promises made,” the UN chief said as the fourth day of this year’s UN climate conference got underway last week.
Reacting to the pledge announced on Saturday by several major oil and gas companies to reduce methane leaks from their pipelines by 2030, Guterres said it is a “step in the right direction,” but the promise failed to address a core issue, namely, eliminating emissions from fossil fuel consumption.
Methane (CH4) is a primary component of natural gas and is responsible for about a third of the planetary warming we see today.
It is short-lived but is more powerful than carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas most responsible for climate change. Without serious action, global anthropogenic methane emissions are projected to rise by up to 13 percent between now and 2030.
Dubbing the oil and gas companies the “giant behind the climate crisis,” the Guterres also pointed out that the pledge did not provide clarity on the pathway to reaching net-zero by 2050, which is “absolutely essential to ensure integrity.”
“Science is clear: we need to phase out fossil fuels within a timeframe compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius,” he reiterated, referring to one of the keystone targets set by the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.
“There must be no room for greenwashing,” he said, referring to the dangers involved in promoting deceptive marketing and false claims of sustainability.
The groundbreaking Early Warnings for All Initiative launched by the Secretary-General last year aims to protect everyone from hazardous weather, water or climate through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027.
“This is an ambitious goal―but it is achievable. To make it a reality, we need all hands-on deck– collaborating and cooperating in a way that has not been done before,” he told delegates at Sunday’s main event on the issue.
Guterres launched a new report prepared by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which shows that more lives are being protected from extreme weather and dangerous climate change impacts, but the pace of progress remains insufficient. DENR News
So far, 101 countries reported having an early warning system, an increase of six countries compared to last year, doubling of coverage since 2015.
Yet, half of countries globally still do not have adequate multi-hazard early warning systems, the report said.
“The progress is encouraging but we must not be complacent … with an 80 percent increase in the number of people affected by disasters since 2015 and half the world still lacking access to early warnings,” said UNDRR head Mami Mizutori
“Early warnings are the low-hanging fruit of climate adaptation. They are not a luxury but a must,” added WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. UN News