UN chief puts spotlight on 'movers,' excludes US, China at climate
summit
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[September 20, 2023]
By Valerie Volcovici
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on
Wednesday will gather heads of state and business leaders that he has
identified as taking stronger action on climate change for a meeting
aimed at building momentum ahead of the COP28 climate summit.
Missing from the list of 34 speakers representing countries at Guterres'
Climate Ambition Summit are the world's biggest emitters China and
United States, as well as the United Arab Emirates, the host of the
COP28 gathering in December.
The summit will feature speeches from leaders who are responding to his
call to "accelerate" global climate action, including Brazil, Canada,
the European Union, Pakistan, South Africa and Tuvalu.
Guterres said one of the aims was to spur action from countries and
companies whose climate plans were not in line with the global climate
target.
Non-member states and international financial institutions that will get
speaking slots include Allianz, the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund, the city of London and the state of California.
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U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry will attend the summit
but will not deliver a speech, a spokesperson said.
The Secretary-General's office has kept a close hold on the list of
invited speakers. Guterres' climate adviser Selwin Hart said in an
interview with Reuters this week that the purpose of the summit was not
to "embarrass" countries or companies that did not make the cut but to
inspire more action from others.
The criteria for a leader to be selected to speak include proposals to
update their country's pre-2030 climate plan; updated targets to achieve
net-zero emissions energy transition plans that commit to no new oil,
gas or coal; and plans to phase out fossil fuels.
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New climate funding pledges or adaptation plans are also among the
criteria for countries to participate.
For businesses, cities and financial institutions, the UN requires
them to represent transition plans aligned with UN integrity
recommendations, emission reduction targets for 2025 that include
indirect emissions, as well as plans to phase out fossil fuels that
do not rely on carbon offsetting.
Guterres has been blunt in his public assessment of countries'
climate actions and whether they will deliver on the Paris agreement
goal to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C.
"I'm not sure all leaders are feeling the heat. Actions are falling
abysmally short," he said in his opening remarks of the UN General
Assembly.
A report released by the U.N. earlier this month said existing
national pledges to cut emissions were insufficient to keep
temperatures within the 1.5 C threshold. More than 20 gigatonnes of
further CO2 reductions were needed this decade - and global net zero
by 2050 - in order to meet the goals.
China's mission to the United Nations and UAE did not immediately
respond for comment.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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