UN chief calls for narrowing climate ambition gap before COP28

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday emphasized the urgent efforts to tackle the growing climate ambition gap.

Referring to the latest United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) report, the top UN official said that it reveals a stagnation in global climate ambition over the past year, with national climate plans being "strikingly misaligned" with scientific findings.

Guterres noted that the upcoming 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai "must be the place to urgently close the climate ambition gap", as emissions continue to rise and climate chaos intensifies.

"As the reality of climate chaos pounds communities around the world, with ever fiercer floods, fires and droughts, the chasm between need and action is more menacing than ever," he said.

The UN's climate change body says that global greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by 45 percent by the end of this decade compared to 2010 levels, to meet the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The UN chief called for hastening net-zero timelines "so that developed countries get there as close as possible to 2040 and emerging economies as close as possible to 2050". Additionally, he advocated a boost in renewable energy investments, in parallel with the phasing out of fossil fuels.

He emphasized the importance of developed countries regaining trust "by delivering on their finance commitments".

Stating that incremental steps are insufficient, he said, "inch-by-inch progress will not do. It is time for a climate ambition supernova in every country, city, and sector."

For effective action, governments must collaborate to secure essential finance and support, alongside forming partnerships, with developed countries taking the lead in restoring trust through the fulfillment of their financial obligations, he said.