UN Chief Urges Faster Climate Action at COP31
(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for stronger climate protection measures, reduced waste generation and faster adoption of clean energy during high-level discussions held Wednesday on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, southern Türkiye.
"The climate crisis is accelerating. Our protection of people must accelerate with it," Guterres told delegates, warning that rising temperatures and continued dependence on fossil fuels are costing lives and placing growing pressure on economies.
Expanding Early Warning Systems Worldwide
During a session focused on disaster preparedness, Guterres renewed his commitment to ensuring that everyone worldwide has access to an early warning system by the end of 2027.
He said international donors had provided $2 billion since 2022 to support approximately 160 countries, but nearly one-third of nations still lacked adequate protection. The most significant shortages remain in developing countries, conflict-affected regions and small island states.
Guterres highlighted the imbalance in weather monitoring infrastructure, noting that some European countries individually operate more internationally compliant weather stations than the entire African continent.
He also stressed the effectiveness of comprehensive warning systems, which can reduce deaths associated with disasters by nearly six times.
"We cannot warn people about what we cannot see," Guterres said, calling on governments to incorporate early warning infrastructure into national spending plans and expand affordable funding for forecasting and communication networks.
Tackling Waste and Reducing Methane Emissions
During a separate roundtable on sustainable resource management, Guterres praised Türkiye and First Lady Emine Erdogan for organizing a summit dedicated to zero-waste initiatives.
He warned that global municipal waste exceeds 2 billion tons annually, while approximately 1 billion meals' worth of food is discarded every day. He urged governments to commit to cutting food waste by half before 2030.
Guterres also highlighted the environmental consequences of waste disposal, particularly its contribution to methane emissions, which account for nearly one-third of current global warming.
He pointed out that only around one in eight of the more than 5,000 methane leak alerts issued by the UN Environment Programme since 2023 had received a response.
"Voluntary action is no longer enough," Guterres argued.
He called on UNEP to develop a scientifically grounded global standard targeting near-zero methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, while urging governments to introduce stronger regulations and financial incentives to "prevent, recover and responsibly manage waste."
Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy
Addressing a dialogue on electrification, Guterres welcomed the 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to increase electricity's share of total energy consumption to 35% by 2035.
He cautioned that tensions across the Middle East demonstrate the economic risks associated with dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Guterres revealed that approximately 3,000 gigawatts of renewable energy and storage projects remain unable to move forward because of delays in securing connections to electricity grids. The backlog increased by 60% within a single year.
He also drew attention to unequal access to clean energy investment, explaining that developing economies outside China receive only about 20% of global clean energy funding despite facing borrowing costs two to three times higher than those in advanced economies.
"We can build a future of clean energy independence or lock in another generation of fossil fuel dependence," he said, urging shareholders in multilateral development banks to increase access to affordable financing.
Türkiye is hosting the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in the southern coastal city of Antalya.
"The climate crisis is accelerating. Our protection of people must accelerate with it," Guterres told delegates, warning that rising temperatures and continued dependence on fossil fuels are costing lives and placing growing pressure on economies.
Expanding Early Warning Systems Worldwide
During a session focused on disaster preparedness, Guterres renewed his commitment to ensuring that everyone worldwide has access to an early warning system by the end of 2027.
He said international donors had provided $2 billion since 2022 to support approximately 160 countries, but nearly one-third of nations still lacked adequate protection. The most significant shortages remain in developing countries, conflict-affected regions and small island states.
Guterres highlighted the imbalance in weather monitoring infrastructure, noting that some European countries individually operate more internationally compliant weather stations than the entire African continent.
He also stressed the effectiveness of comprehensive warning systems, which can reduce deaths associated with disasters by nearly six times.
"We cannot warn people about what we cannot see," Guterres said, calling on governments to incorporate early warning infrastructure into national spending plans and expand affordable funding for forecasting and communication networks.
Tackling Waste and Reducing Methane Emissions
During a separate roundtable on sustainable resource management, Guterres praised Türkiye and First Lady Emine Erdogan for organizing a summit dedicated to zero-waste initiatives.
He warned that global municipal waste exceeds 2 billion tons annually, while approximately 1 billion meals' worth of food is discarded every day. He urged governments to commit to cutting food waste by half before 2030.
Guterres also highlighted the environmental consequences of waste disposal, particularly its contribution to methane emissions, which account for nearly one-third of current global warming.
He pointed out that only around one in eight of the more than 5,000 methane leak alerts issued by the UN Environment Programme since 2023 had received a response.
"Voluntary action is no longer enough," Guterres argued.
He called on UNEP to develop a scientifically grounded global standard targeting near-zero methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, while urging governments to introduce stronger regulations and financial incentives to "prevent, recover and responsibly manage waste."
Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy
Addressing a dialogue on electrification, Guterres welcomed the 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to increase electricity's share of total energy consumption to 35% by 2035.
He cautioned that tensions across the Middle East demonstrate the economic risks associated with dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Guterres revealed that approximately 3,000 gigawatts of renewable energy and storage projects remain unable to move forward because of delays in securing connections to electricity grids. The backlog increased by 60% within a single year.
He also drew attention to unequal access to clean energy investment, explaining that developing economies outside China receive only about 20% of global clean energy funding despite facing borrowing costs two to three times higher than those in advanced economies.
"We can build a future of clean energy independence or lock in another generation of fossil fuel dependence," he said, urging shareholders in multilateral development banks to increase access to affordable financing.
Türkiye is hosting the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in the southern coastal city of Antalya.
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