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Add to Preferred SourcesParticipants of a key meeting in Poland to prepare the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice in December (COP24) highlighted the wealth of economic opportunities when acting on climate change, and the urgent need for a just transition towards a low carbon society that both protects the climate and jobs.
Speaking at the business day of the so-called “Pre-COP” in Krakow, Poland, attended by Ministers from 35 countries, government delegations and private sector representatives, the Deputy Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change Ovais Sarmad said:
“You have all highlighted that economic growth and tackling climate change are compatible. In fact, one leads to the other. Therefore, it is a very encouraging moment. We need to have a just transition to low-carbon. But the time for that is getting shorter and shorter.”
At the Pre-COP, the International Energy Agency presented the latest data showing that global greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector are set to grow in 2018, continuing the upwards trend observed since 2017.
With current commitments, the global community is not on track to achieve the Paris Agreement’s central goal, which is to hold the global average temperatures to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius and well under 2 degrees Celsius.
To achieve this goal, emissions would need to peak as soon as possible, and the world would need to be climate neutral by 2050.
The focus of the pre-COP24 business day was achieving climate neutrality notably through accelerated in action in the areas of energy, electromobility and urbanization – all highly interlinked or overlapping topics.
In the area of urbanization, participants highlighted the need for a green shift in the tax system, cities setting environmental standards and different incentives for producers and consumers. In the field of energy, the central focus was on the importance of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
One of the key outcomes of COP24 would be to finalise and adopt the guidelines that will tell the world how to implement the Paris Agreement fairly and transparently.
Following the Pre-COP’s successful business day, discussions among Ministers at the Pre-COP over the next two days will focus on issues relating to the implementation guidelines.
Original source: UNFCCC
Published on 22 October 2018