UN climate chief urges faster action
UN climate chief Simon Stiell is urging faster action on climate change one month before the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP30.
Upon the release of the report on climate change adaptation, the Grenadian politician said there was both good and bad news.
The good news, he said, is that the direction is now correct, with almost all countries striving to adapt to the consequences of rising temperatures. “This new … report shows that real progress is being made,” Stiell said.
However, the bad news is that everything is moving far too slowly. “So this report could easily be sub-titled: ‘No more excuses, investors!'” said Stiell, who heads the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) based in the German city of Bonn.
Next climate conference to be “key test”
Particularly poorer countries, he said, have problems gathering the necessary financial resources for corresponding climate efforts.
To tap into the money fundamentally made available by richer countries, often cumbersome application procedures are required. Poorer countries also frequently lack expertise.
Climate financing, however, is not an act of charity from the leading economic nations, but an absolute necessity in their own interest – only in this way can global supply chains, for example, be maintained in the long term.
“Every year, the impacts of climate change grow more intense, and more uneven,” said Stiell. Adapting to global warming means protection against floods, droughts, wildfires and storms.
This is equivalent to protecting the economy, which is severely affected by such natural disasters, Stiell said.
Preparation for ever-higher temperatures and extreme weather
COP30 is scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21 in Belém in the Brazilian Amazon region. The topic of adaptation will play a significant role there, said Stiell.
“On adaptation issues, but also more broadly, COP30 will be a key test of global solidarity,” said Stiell.
One example of how countries are dealing with the challenges is Germany, where in 2023 the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, passed a law for better climate adaptation. It aimed to prepare Germany for ever-higher temperatures and the associated consequences and to take risk precautions.
Specifically, it involves creating more green spaces and designing cities to absorb water during heavy rainfall and store it for drought periods. The population is also to be better warned about extreme weather events.
