ONU Climat Infos, le 23 juillet 2021 - S'adressant aux ministres de l'environnement des pays du G20 à Naples, en Italie, Patricia Espinosa, secrétaire exécutive d'ONU Climat, a appelé les pays à fournir le leadership nécessaire pour atteindre l'objectif central de l'Accord de Paris, qui est de maintenir l'augmentation de la température moyenne mondiale aussi près que possible de 1,5°C.

Il s'agit de prévenir les pires conséquences des changements climatiques, notamment des sécheresses, des inondations et des incendies de plus en plus fréquents et graves, comme ceux auxquels le monde est actuellement confronté.

La cheffe d'ONU Climat a rappelé que le G20 a été fondé en réponse à la crise financière de 2008, dans le but de parvenir à une stabilité économique mondiale et à une croissance durable.

Le G20 est responsable de 80% de toutes les émissions mondiales. Il n'existe aucun moyen d'atteindre les 1,5°C sans le G20, a-t-elle déclaré.

Les changements climatiques sont, sans exception, préjudiciable à cet objectif. Il est donc dans l'intérêt de toutes les nations du G20 de tirer parti de leur diversité collective pour parvenir à un consensus et travailler dans un but commun afin de relever le défi le plus important qui se dresse sur la voie de cet objectif, a-t-elle ajouté.

Seuls 97 pays ont soumis des contributions déterminées au niveau national (NDC) actualisées, qui sont des plans d'action nationaux pour le climat dans le cadre de l'Accord de Paris, soit moins de la moitié de tous les pays signataires de ce même accord. Patricia Espinosa a appelé les pays du G20 à faire preuve de leadership en présentant des NDC plus ambitieux et conformes aux données scientifiques.

Elle a également rappelé aux pays développés leur promesse de mobiliser 100 milliards de dollars par an en faveur des pays en développement d'ici 2020, un engagement pris dans le cadre du processus de la CCNUCC il y a plus de dix ans.

Il est temps de tenir parole. Comment pouvons-nous attendre des nations qu'elles prennent des engagements plus ambitieux en matière de climat pour demain si ceux d'aujourd'hui n'ont pas encore été respectés ?, a-t-elle déclaré.

Mme Espinosa a souligné le fait que les ressources pour l'adaptation et le renforcement de la résilience sont essentielles pour la grande majorité des pays en développement. Pour cette raison, 50% de la part totale du financement climatique doit être allouée à l'adaptation et à la résilience.

Elle a également appelé les nations et les entreprises à aligner leurs portefeuilles et leurs activités sur les objectifs de l'Accord de Paris.

En ce qui concerne la prochaine conférence des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques, la COP 26 en novembre, Patricia Espinosa a exhorté les gouvernements à parvenir à un consensus dans les domaines où des divergences subsistent, notamment l'article 6 de l'Accord de Paris (relatif aux marchés du carbone), la transparence de l'action climatique et le renforcement des capacités des pays en développement. 

Chacune de ces questions doit être résolue afin de mettre pleinement en œuvre l'Accord de Paris. Cela fait cinq ans que nous travaillons à la mise en œuvre de l'accord.  Nous avons manqué de temps. (...) Je vous demande de venir à la COP26 déterminés à réussir, a-t-elle déclaré.

Découvrez son discours dans son intégralité et dans sa version originale anglaise, ci-dessous: 

Ministers;

It’s a pleasure to be here and thank you to the Italian Presidency for this opportunity to speak. It’s the first time I’ve spoken in front of a live audience since the beginning of COVID-19 more than a year ago.

I begin by recognizing those who continue to suffer through these difficult times, especially those who have lost friends and family.

I also recognize those who have lost their lives in the recent series of weather disasters throughout the world — events that underscore the irrefutable evidence of our climate change emergency.

This is the point of my remarks when I usually provide several statistics and numbers reflecting the dire climate situation we collectively face.

But what more can numbers show us that we cannot already see?

What more can statistics say about the flooding, the wildfires, the droughts and hurricanes and other deadly events?

Numbers and statistics are invaluable, but what the world requires now, more than anything else, is climate action.

People throughout the world demand it. We see it in traditional and social media, in schools, in communities, in demonstrations and more.

What they want is bold and courageous leadership that gets us off our current path of destruction and instead puts us on the climate-resilient path that the Paris Agreement promised.

The Paris Agreement provides the framework for limiting global temperatures to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Five years ago, nations agreed to its adoption. But adoption is not implementation. Without this crucial step, unleashing the full potential of the Paris Agreement is simply impossible. 

Ministers,

G20 nations have a responsibility, as well as the opportunity to provide the bold and courageous climate change leadership the world needs. 

The responsibility is clear: the G20 accounts for 80 per cent of all global emissions. There is no path to 1.5C without the G20.

You are a unique group, representing a wide diversity of nations — all at different stages of development and with different circumstances and political realities.

Far from a division point, this diversity is the G20’s greatest strength. The very reason for the G20’s foundation was a recognition that solutions to global issues were not one-size-fits-all.

The same applies today. The climate emergency requires the same approach and determination as G20 nations showed during the 2008 financial crisis.

If the founding and fundamental purpose of the G20 is to achieve global economic stability and sustainable growth, climate change is — without exception — detrimental to that goal.

It is therefore in the best interests of all G20 nations to harness its collective diversity to build consensus and work in a unity of purpose to address the most significant challenge standing in the path of that goal.

But like so many issues, building consensus means showing the willingness to move beyond politics and entrenched positions.

Frankly, we’re not there yet. But this must change, and soon — certainly by COP26. Yet we cannot simply show up in Glasgow and hope for the best.

Consensus-building and climate action must happen as soon as possible.

Ministers,
 

G20 nations can show bold and courageous leadership right now by presenting, in line with science, ambitious national climate action plans.

Plans that:

…outline commitments for the next five years…

…show how you will reduce emissions 45 per cent by 2030…

…show how you will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050…

…and Long-Term Strategies that define the path to that goal.

We currently have 97 NDC submissions, but this is less than half of all Parties to the Paris Agreement. This is not what people throughout the world will want to hear when we talk about climate ambition.

Receiving these plans is crucial. We also encourage nations who have already submitted to revisit and submit more ambitious NDCs.

Finance is another area where previous commitments must be met to achieve success moving forward. It’s linked to virtually every element of our global climate change efforts.

The pledge by developed nations to mobilize $100 billion to developing nations by 2020 is a commitment made in the UNFCCC process more than a decade ago. It’s time to deliver. How can we expect nations to make more ambitious climate commitments for tomorrow if today’s have not yet been met?

Resources for adaptation and resilience building are critical for the vast majority of developing countries. This can no longer — especially in light of recent climate disasters — be the forgotten component of climate action.

Specifically, we need to see 50 per cent of the total share of climate finance to be allocated to adaptation and resilience.

On a wider scale, nations and businesses, must align their portfolios and activities to the goals of the Paris Agreement. This is the only way we can truly achieve the deep transformation we need to achieve a more sustainable, resilient future.

We must all get away from the idea that there are climate or “green” investments and then other investments.

Nations and businesses cannot fund a few climate projects and then claim to be sustainable and climate friendly if all other investment is based in high-emissions sectors.

It’s impossible to move forward if we’re still chained to the past.

G20 nations have mobilized vast resources to help their economies navigate through the pandemic. We need to see the same level of commitment to address climate change and to fuel the transition towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.
 

Ministers,

In addition to:
 

• submitting more ambitious national climate action plans and long-term strategies;
   
• mobilizing the $100 billion;
   
• making adaptation a central part of the finance picture; and
   
• aligning global investments with the Paris Agreement…

…we also must make COP26 a success this coming November. And that means achieving consensus in areas where several differences remain.

They remain in areas ranging from Article Six, to transparency, capacity building and more.

Each of these issues must be resolved in order to fully implement the Paris Agreement.

We’ve been working on implementing the agreement for five years.

We have run out of time.

That’s why, ministers, my message today cannot be any clearer: we need your political decisions. We need your knowledge. We need your solutions.

We need your bold and courageous leadership.

And we need all of this urgently.

I want to underline that while the impacts of climate change continue to grow worse, the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement is still within reach. 

But we cannot reach it without the G20.

I ask you to come to COP26 determined to succeed,

Never has there been a year like this one.

Yet never has one generation of leaders had an opportunity to change so much in so little time. 

I ask you to rise to the challenge and the opportunity of our times…

…to get us off the path of loss and destruction and onto the path of recovery, resilience and hope.

Thank you.