LOOKING AHEAD

The second week will see several important topics covered by the Presidential action agenda, including youth and education, nature and ocean and food and water systems.

On the negotiations, an approach to the political engagement by Ministers during the second week of the Conference is being finalized to effectively bring all outstanding issues to a successful conclusion. This is developed to help facilitate a balanced and equitable suite of outcomes that can effectively deliver a course correction, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It emphasizes an integrated approach that encompasses all critical pillars: mitigation, adaptation, finance and the conclusion of the first GST.

To further bolster these efforts, Ministerial pairs were briefed on the scope and approach for political engagement around different issues. This briefing informed and equipped them to take forward their roles and responsibilities, as well as how they can actively contribute to the successful implementation of the strategy.

In week 2, Parties will need to reach across the aisle to work towards a compromise to collectively deliver a truly historic outcome. The Presidency has made a strong call to action for a Global Stocktake decision that lays the groundwork for the just energy transition that keeps 1.5 degrees in reach, while enabling that kind of action through adequate, affordable and accessible finance. The world needs a decision that makes a difference to people’s lives, livelihoods and ecosystems, with a concrete pathway to do so this decade, and a decision that is fair, based on the science and doesn’t mean developing countries have to choose between climate action and development. ■

As the Ethiopian ambassador to the United States, I am enormously proud of the epic battle that Ethiopia is waging against a warming planet. As we get back to the hard work of combatting climate change in the wake of COP 24, I want to remind my colleagues across the globe that according to climate scientists, Ethiopia is one of the 10 most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change; and yet we as a nation have contributed very little to the industrial emissions that are now warming our planet at an alarming rate.

Desertification, which causes Ethiopia to lose more than 2 billion metric tons of arable soil and 230,000 acres of forest and woodland a year; locust swarms, that consume critically needed crops that could feed many more of our people; and malaria outbreaks, that kill thousands of our brothers, sisters, and children are all made immeasurably worse by global warming.

And yet, my government refuses to play the blame game, nor do we wait for the aid we desperately need to fight this battle. This year, Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban gas and diesel-powered cars, in favor of electric vehicles. And we are rapidly expanding sources of renewable energy. We can now generate more than 60,000 megawatts of electricity a year from hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal projects.

In addition, we are implementing massive new forestry and agroforestry projects to