The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has called on developing countries to leave Belém equipped with a climate justice package that delivers equity, dignity, and opportunity by the closure of this year’s COP30.
António Guterres made the call during at the Plenary of Leaders of the Belém Climate Summit, ahead of the COP30 summit due 10th this month till 21st November in Belem – Brasil.
He noted that there should be a concrete plan to close the adaptation finance gap by ensuring that developed countries honour their pledge to provide 40 billion US dollars’ adaptation finance by the end of this year and giving confidence that affordable adaptation finance will be scaled up beyond 2025 – and delivered swiftly to the communities on the frontlines.
He added that unless justice is paced at the heart of the transition with concrete measures to support developing countries to navigate it to protect workers, empowering communities, creating new opportunities and significant contributions and simplified access to the Loss and Damage Fund, much may not be achieved under climate justice.
António Guterres also notes that; “A just transition also means Indigenous Peoples leading the way. Their knowledge and full participation light the path to a livable planet”.
António Guterres describes the world’s failure to maintain temperatures below 1.5 degrees as a moral failure – and deadly negligence that will highly cost the world because every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss, and could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security. – especially for those least responsible.
“We need a paradigm shift to limit this overshoot’s magnitude and duration and quickly drive it down – Yes, the newly submitted Nationally Determined Contributions represent progress – but they still fall short of what is needed. Even if fully implemented, they would put us on a pathway well above 2 degrees of global warming”, he expounded
He however said that the clean energy revolution has taken hold with solar and wind becoming cheapest sources of power – and the fastest growing sources of electricity in history – Last year, almost all new power capacity came from renewables. The clean-energy economy is creating jobs and driving development. It is reshaping geopolitics – delivering energy security and price stability. And it is connecting millions to clean and affordable energy for the first time.
“The economics have shifted. In 2024, investors poured 2 trillion US dollars into clean energy – 800 billion more than fossil fuels. Clean energy is winning on price, performance, and potential – offering the solutions to transform our economies and protect our populations. What’s still missing is political courage. Fossil fuels still command vast subsidies – taxpayers’ money”, he added.
He called on nations to move faster together, and said COP30 must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery; by countries agreeing on a bold and credible response plan to close the NDC ambition gap to 1.5 degrees; demonstrating a clear and credible path to reaching the 1.3 trillion US dollars a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035, as agreed at COP 29 in Baku, and developed countries must take the lead in mobilizing 300 billion dollars annually – delivering affordable, predictable finance at the agreed scale.
He adds; “All providers must show they will contribute to meeting the 300 billion and 1.3 trillion milestones. It’s no longer time for negotiations – It’s time for implementation”.
