EU Leaders Vow to Keep Cutting Carbon

Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor

UN Secretary General António Guterres highlighted his intro by stating that “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing. Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”

Guterres emphasized the role of developed countries leading in this decade. “This COP must agree on a clear, time-bound roadmap reflective of the scale and urgency of the challenge. This roadmap must deliver effective institutional arrangements for financing and getting concrete results on “loss and damage” is a litmus test of the commitment of the governments to the success of COP27”, he said outlining that Adaptation needs are set to grow to more than $300 billion dollars a year by 2030.

António Guterres highlighted that the road with financial and technological tools is clear, and that the only need is the unity of nations for implementation. He also mentioned that the war in Ukraine, and other conflicts, have caused so much bloodshed and violence and have had dramatic impacts all over the world. Nations must work together to reach peace. His talk ended by emphasizing that the global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch.

“We will stop using fossil fuels, no ifs or buts! There must not be a global renaissance of fossil fuels,” he said, though Germany has asked energy firms to delay the closure of coal plants as the Ukraine war disrupted energy supplies.

“Resolute deeds must follow our resolute promises towards climate protection,” he said. Meanwhile, Italy’s new prime minister Giorgia Meloni said that Italy remained “strongly committed” to pursuing its decarbonization pathway in line with the Paris Agreement.

“We intend to pursue a just transition to support the affected communities and leave no one behind”.

Giorgia Meloni, Italy Prime Minister