Climate action will be both a priority and a driver of world affairs through the coming decade, United Nations Secretary-General chief António Guterres announced on Monday, during a speech at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday, in which he declared that the next ten years will be “crucial for achieving a fair globalization, boosting economic growth, and building peaceful societies.” Mr. Guterres was addressing representatives of countries, led by Germany and Naura, that joined together in 2018 to form the UN Group of Friends on Climate and Security, with the stated aim of cooperating to develop solutions for the impact of climate change on security policy, raise public awareness and boost the involvement of the United Nations in this area. The Decade of Action begins, said the UN chief, with efforts to ensure that the next UN climate conference, set to take place in Glasgow in November, is a success, following the “disappointment” of COP25. “70 countries committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, including the European Union, but also many that have contributed least to the problem,” said Mr. Guterres. “That number represents less than one fourth of global emissions. We must make this commitment universal.”
By UN News. February 3, 2020.
