UN summit: environmentalists criticise lack of ‘concrete actions’

UN secretary general António Guterres has declared the first global summit on climate action a success in generating better momentum to meet the critical targets of the Paris Agreement, which must be nailed down next year.

In closing remarks he highlighted commitments by 77 countries, including Ireland, to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, though environmental groups said there were insufficient "concrete actions" given the latest indications of a worsening climate crisis.

Some major asset fund managers said they would aim to get to a net-zero portfolio of investments by the same year, and dozens of businesses – including some major oil companies – said they would aim to abide by Paris Agreement targets.

The US did not request a speaking slot at the summit, but US president Donald Trump unexpectedly came to the general assembly hall and almost crossed paths with the young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

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UN climate envoy Michael Bloomberg welcomed Mr Trump's presence and addressed the president directly.

“Hopefully our discussions here will be useful for you when you formulate climate policy.” That was followed by laughter and applause.

Head of the World Resources Institute Andrew Steer said most of the major economies fell "woefully short" of expectations.

“Their lack of ambition stands in sharp contrast with the growing demand for action around the world,” he added.

Human rights

Thunberg and 15 other children have since filed a complaint with the UN alleging five of the world's major economies have violated their human rights by not taking adequate action to stop the unfolding climate crisis. The petition names Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey, which they say have failed to uphold their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The 16-year old will not be going back to school soon. She is due to travel to Montreal, Canada, to participate in a rally before attending the annual meeting of UN parties on climate, COP25, in Chile later this year – by travelling overland.

Meanwhile, Siobhán Walsh, the chief executive of the aid agency Goal, has welcomed the Taoiseach's contribution on Monday, in which he pledged to stop oil exploration but warned there was "no time for apathy if we are to avoid a hot earth scenario".

“International relief and development agencies see the realities and impact of our changing climate on vulnerable communities around the world,” Ms Walsh said from New York. “The scale of this crisis requires a new level of pragmatic discussion and immediacy of action.

“From the ground up, resilience must be embedded into the heart of programming so that communities have the capacity to deal with shocks and stresses, which will only become more intense and more frequent in the years ahead. But to help communities to build their own resilience, we need to ensure we include a focus on nature-based solutions, and that we invest in training communities. This is fundamental to any action plan for change.”

Progress on poverty

World leaders gathered on Tuesday to review progress against the UN sustainable development goals, a global plan to improve people’s lives under 17 key targets – from food and water availability to healthcare.

Trócaire chief executive Caoimhe de Barra highlighted the hugely positive global trends in poverty reduction and the role Ireland had played in helping to bring this about but warned climate change threatened to undermine much of the progress .

“The reality is that aid and development work,” she said. “It lifts people out of poverty and creates opportunity for people to live dignified lives. Extreme poverty is falling and diseases that once needlessly ended lives are in retreat.”

The sustainable development goals remain the blueprint for tackling global poverty.

“In an age of populism and cynicism, they prove that real change is possible when people work together,” she added.

Reacting to Mr Varadkar’s speech, Ms de Barra said: “Ireland’s global reputation on climate action is astonishingly poor. We are the third-highest emitters of carbon in the EU and towards the bottom of the table for positive action. We’re dangerously far behind where we need to be. This was an opportunity for the Government to reframe Ireland’s stance and recover our reputation.”

The decision to cease issuing licences for oil exploration was welcome, particularly given that the Government had previously opposed such a move. To hit Paris Agreement targets, “the vast majority of known fossil fuels have to stay in the ground”, she said.

Trócaire also wanted Ireland to seize this opportunity to back the increased targets being advocated by the EU, notably a 55 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.

“The Government failed to do that.”