The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged world governments to “finish the job” concerning the implementation of the 2015 Paris climate Agreement.
Guterres made the remarks in the Polish city of Katowice, where more than 100 government leaders are gathered for the COP24 climate change conference, which seeks a consensus regarding the implementation of the historic Paris Agreement.
“In my opening statement to this conference one week ago…I warned that climate change is running faster than we are and that Katowice must — in no uncertain terms — be a success, as a necessary platform to reverse this trend,” the UN Secretary General said.
Since 2 December, the conference has brought together thousands of climate action decision-makers, advocates and activists, with one key objective: adopting global guidelines for the 197 parties of the 2015 Paris Agreement, when countries committed to limiting global warming to less than 2°C – and as close as possible to 1.5° – above pre-industrial levels.
“It’s very difficult to explain to those suffering from the effects of climate change that we have not managed to find predictable support for the actions that must be taken,” Guterres added.
Guterres called on the delegates to boost their ambition, with regards to “predictable and accessible financial flows for the economic transition towards a low-emission and climate-resilient world.”
He reminded the audience that developed countries had a financial obligation to support the efforts of developing countries, as established by the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), under which the Paris Agreement falls, and which was signed in 1992, more than 25 years ago.
