ONU Climat Infos, le 26 janvier 2022. Dans un discours prononcé à l'occasion de l'ouverture de l'événement « Génération verte » organisé par Project Syndicate aujourd'hui, la Secrétaire exécutive d'ONU Climat, Patricia Espinosa, a exposé les prochaines mesures urgentes que la communauté internationale doit prendre pour maintenir à portée de main l'objectif de l'Accord de Paris consistant à limiter le réchauffement de la planète à 1,5 degré, et pour créer une dynamique avant la prochaine Conférence des Nations Unies sur le changement climatique COP 27 qui se tiendra en Égypte en novembre prochain.

Mme Espinosa a exhorté les gouvernements à prendre des mesures immédiates en soumettant des plans d'action nationaux pour le climat plus ambitieux, connus sous le nom de NDC, et des stratégies à long terme, comme convenu lors de la Conférence des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques à Glasgow l'année dernière.

La science est claire : nous devons intensifier notre action en faveur du climat au cours de la présente décennie si nous voulons atteindre la neutralité carbone d'ici 2050 et, à terme, l'objectif de 1,5 degré, a déclaré Mme Espinosa.

Les remarques de Mme Espinosa interviennent un jour avant la réunion ministérielle du Forum des économies majeures sur l'énergie et le climat, un groupe de pays responsables d'environ 80% des émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre.

L'appel de la responsable d’ONU Climat s'inscrit dans un contexte d'avertissements alarmants de la part de la communauté scientifique et d'accélération des effets du changement climatique. Plusieurs pays d'Amérique latine ont connu une chaleur sans précédent ce mois-ci, et l'Australie a enregistré la semaine dernière la journée la plus chaude de son histoire, avec un niveau alarmant de 50 degrés Celsius.

Avec les changements climatiques dépassants le multilatéralisme, Mme Espinosa a souligné la nécessité d'accélérer le processus multilatéral, en appelant les nations du G20 à montrer l'exemple.

Les rapports de synthèse des NDC préparés l'année dernière par ONU Climat ont montré que les pays sont loin du niveau d'ambition nécessaire pour atteindre les objectifs de l'accord de Paris. En réponse, une décision a été prise lors de la COP 26 exigeant que tous les pays présentent des plans plus solides sur une base annuelle, à partir de cette année.

Mme Espinosa a souligné les domaines nécessitant des progrès spécifiques en vue de la COP 27, notamment la réduction des émissions, l'adaptation aux impacts du changement climatique et le financement du climat, avec un accent sur le financement de l'adaptation. Lors de la COP 26, les gouvernements ont convenu de la nécessité d'apporter un soutien accru aux pays en développement et ont appelé à doubler le financement de l'adaptation.

Bien qu'il incombe aux gouvernements et au secteur privé de prendre des mesures urgentes et immédiates, Mme Espinosa a déclaré que les jeunes, les observateurs et la société civile ont un rôle central à jouer sur la route vers et pendant la COP 27.

Pour maintenir l'objectif 1,5, tout le monde, dans tous les milieux, doit comprendre les causes et les impacts du changement climatique, et être éduqué et habilité à contribuer aux solutions.

Elle a souligné l'importance de la « Génération verte », afin de maintenir la pression sur les gouvernements pour qu'ils prennent des engagements de plus en plus ambitieux - et qu'ils les fassent respecter par la suite - et a exhorté le secteur privé à viser l'action climatique la plus élevée possible, et non les fruits les plus bas.

Retrouvez ci-dessous l'intégralité de son discours en langue originale : 

It’s a pleasure to speak with you in these early days of 2022: a year in which we build on the momentum coming off COP26 and continue to encourage nations, business and civil society to boost climate action.

I recognize that not everyone was happy with what we achieved in Glasgow. I was also not completely satisfied. This however is the reality of diplomacy and multilateralism.

But let us focus on what we did achieve, where we stand after COP26 and examine the road ahead to COP27.

In Glasgow, nearly 200 nations came together and provided clarity on the work we need to undertake to reach the 1.5-degree goal under the Paris Agreement.

For the first time ever, coal was mentioned in the final text.

We saw progress with respect to mitigation, adaptation and finance.

Outside of the formal process China and the United States agreed to work together in areas of common interest.

We saw Parties finalize guidelines for the full implementation of the Paris Agreement. This is a significant accomplishment, allowing Parties to scale up their cooperation, mobilize additional finance and private sector engagement and ensure that the rules are the same for everyone.

We also saw completion, after several COPs, of the enhanced transparency framework. This deserves more attention than it has received because it reinforces trust, which is at the heart of the Paris Agreement and our multilateral process.

By agreeing to the tables, outlines and other formats for the various reports and data they must submit under the Paris Agreement, Parties can move forward knowing the rules for reporting are the same for all. They also agreed to provide capacity-building support to facilitate this work. While this support will apply to all nations, it will certainly be of great benefit to developing nations.

Parties also decided on the rules to implement carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

In the area of Loss and Damage, they agreed to the establishment of the Glasgow Dialogue that will ensure further work in the next years.

Despite COP26 accomplishments however, the undeniable truth is that we are still far off the trajectory of stabilizing global temperature rise at 1.5-degrees.

It’s why COP26 was not the end of anything. It was an important step forward, but our work and the work of Parties continues towards COP27.

There are several areas of focus and many requiring immediate attention.

First, we need more ambitious NDCs and Long-Term Strategies. We simply do not have enough — and not enough ambition — at the current time. The NDC Synthesis Reports from last year confirmed this.

That’s why nations, following a resolution at COP26, are now asked to come up with stronger plans on an annual basis. No country is exempt. The pressure is on and civil society has made it clear: they want results.

The global south particularly wants to see the global north live up to its commitments under the Paris Agreement.

It’s crucial G20 nations lead by example as they represent 80 per cent of the world’s emissions.

They must focus on immediate action. The science is clear: we must see more climate action this decade if we’re to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and, ultimately, the 1.5-degree goal.

I’m often asked how optimistic I am that Parties will follow up on their commitments. I am always optimistic – I would not be in this position if I wasn’t. I am absolutely convinced the multilateral process is the only way forward. But currently, climate change is outpacing multilateralism. A cursory glance at almost any metric makes this very clear.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that globally 2020 was tied with the previous warmest year of 2016.

It was Europe’s hottest year on record, almost half a degree warmer than 2019, which was the previous record. Last week Australia recorded its warmest day ever at 50-degrees Celsius.

I could spend the next 24 hours reading statistics and numbers that prove the direness of our situation. This year we will receive even more important data that will build on this, including the next crucial IPCC report. Anyone who expects the news to be anything but dire has not been paying attention.

Certainly, we have reasons to be optimistic. We have a global plan in the Paris Agreement, and thanks to COP26 we are now at the implementation stage of that agreement. But if the Paris Agreement is going to ultimately succeed, and nations are to ultimately limit global temperature rise to 1.5C, and multilateralism is to ultimately prevail as the method to achieve it, then Parties have got to act in 2022.

Just because it’s uncomfortable to keep delivering this message does not make it any less necessary. Optimism is only possible when it is backed by action.

On the road to COP27, we specifically need to see progress in the areas of mitigation, adaptation and finance.

With respect to finance and adaptation, at COP26 all Parties agreed that much more support needs to be provided to developing countries.

We welcomed the call by Parties to at least double finance for adaptation, but actual needs are still very much beyond what is currently available. Parties must continue to focus on this issue as we look ahead to COP27.

As for those big financial announcements we heard at COP26? They were encouraging, but we look forward to both firm plans and the fine print on the road to COP27. We must see these plans as soon as possible and certainly in the coming months.

Those are but a few of the many issues we continue to work on with the UK Presidency and the incoming Egyptian Presidency as well.

We also look forward to your ongoing input and solutions as well, particularly from youth. As I made very clear in Glasgow, youth, observers and civil society as a whole must play a more central role on the road to and at COP27.

I was encouraged that at COP26, Parties adopted the 10-year Glasgow work program to strengthen the implementation of Action for Climate Empowerment, known as ACE.

ACE has six elements: climate education and public awareness, training, public access to information, public participation, and international cooperation.

This is a key development because if we’re to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach, everyone, across all walks of life, needs to understand the causes and impacts of climate change, and be educated and empowered to contribute to the solutions. ACE supports that work.

It specifically recognizes the critical role of youth, as well as their right to engage in decisions and action on climate change.

As we look ahead to COP27, we must all work together to keep the pressure on governments to keep making more and more ambitious commitments.

And once those commitments are made, holding them to those commitments. The same goes for private industry. We must urge them to reach for the highest possible climate action, not the lowest-hanging fruit.

In short, we need Generation Green. I recognize and respect your efforts to this point and I’m confident that with your input we can make not only this year a success, but COP27 and beyond.

I look forward to the results of your discussions and I look forward to meeting as many of you in person as possible — and as soon as possible.

Thank you.