UN: “It is urgent to call for more action and more ambitious climate goals”

2023-09-18 18:51:20

The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization indicates that the United Nations will not achieve most of the Sustainable Development Goals. The conclusions precede the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, which takes place this Wednesday, September 20, in New York, United States. In an interview with RFI, the president of the Portuguese NGO ZERO, Francisco Ferreira, recognizes that it is urgent to call for more action and more ambitious objectives.

RFI: The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization indicates that the United Nations will not achieve most of the Sustainable Development Goals. After the commitments made in 2015, does this report reveal that world leaders continue to devalue environmental issues?

Francisco Ferreira, president of the Portuguese NGO ZERO: We know, from what has been analyzed, that less than 10% of the goals set by the United Nations have been met. It really is a difficult number to accept and it is also why we must call for more action and more ambitious goals.

This United Nations meeting will seek to take stock of the agenda for 2030. Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously approved in 2015. We are halfway there and it is the right time to understand, because there are also many positive aspects , what is failing.

But what are the priorities?

We have two or three priorities that are worth identifying. The first – because it fits into this United Nations recognition – is the impact of climate. Climate change is happening faster than scientists predict and is having an impact on the future of humanity from all perspectives. In the productivity of the Ocean, in agricultural productivity, in the resilience of forests.

We saw the fires that affected Canada, Greece and Hawaii. But then, we have other fundamental objectives. Still in the area of ​​the environment, the objectives that concern terrestrial life and marine life. These are also in question. We are in a crisis of biodiversity and inequality in the distribution of resources. There is also the issue of renewable energy, sustainable cities, poverty, hunger, water supply. All of these are crucial aspects. We cannot separate the environment from economic, social and governance issues.

Extreme weather episodes, fires in Canada, Greece and floods in Libya, are increasingly frequent. Is a rapid transformation of societies the only possible solution?

There is everyone’s responsibility here. It is urgent that countries commit to accelerating the end of the use of fossil fuels and that is what will be on the table on Wednesday [20 de Setembro]. At the Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, will try to raise awareness among different leaders on this issue. A little more than a conversation is expected because several countries will show more ambition in their goals and it is preparation for the conference that will take place in Dubai at the end of the year.

However, it is necessary to hold countries, but also companies, municipalities and people responsible. Ending fossil fuels is actually a top priority because it is the burning of natural gas, coal and oil that causes the main carbon dioxide emissions. We also have to end the inequality and waste of resources we have on a global scale, as this has a direct link to damage to the climate and biodiversity.

Was this the message they wanted to send this weekend with the demonstration against the use of fossil fuels? The NGO Zero joined the initiative in New York, United States…

It wasn’t just in New York, but all over the world. Environmental associations have tried to be very clear, the Secretary-General of the United Nations himself has said so, arguing that the burning of fossil fuels must be overcome. We need to use enough energy for what we need, but it is essential to invest in renewable energy.

We must end investments made in coal extraction in Asian countries. End oil investments in Middle Eastern countries and natural gas investments in African countries, the Middle East and South America. We must be objective in what the goals of each country are.

What can we expect from the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, when we know that the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will not be there gifts?

It’s a serious problem. If each of them took seriously the crisis we have in terms of climate, biodiversity, resources and peace, they would not miss this meeting.

That is concertation on a global scale, within the framework of the United Nations, to seek to overcome the problems that humanity faces. Right from the start, we are in a fragile position for understandings that are increasingly essential to deal with these crises.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, hopes that during the 78th General Assembly an agreement will be reached to “rescue” the Sustainable Development Goals, after several UN agencies have warned that the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have delayed its progress almost throughout the world. Will this agreement be possible?

There is no doubt that what was decided in 2015, with this agenda of 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, is absolutely essential. Essential for humanity that does not have the resources to deal with the consequences of climate change, poverty, inequality…

This north-south dialogue, which has to be implemented, with financial support, goals to be met, if not within the framework of the United Nations, it will be very difficult to achieve them. Therefore, we have to look at what the countries approved eight years ago and “rescue” that spirit and ensure that the advances, which also exist, go towards meeting the goals set.

Are we still in time?

In some cases it will be very difficult for us to go in time. Without a doubt, we have a fragile situation to be able to resolve what many countries are experiencing. And this is due to the fact that we did not find solutions at the right time, making many of the problems worse.