Global leader urges non-intimidation in face of Israeli policies
In the bustling city of New York, the United Nations (UN) is preparing for its high-level week, an event that will see more than 140 heads of state and government gather. However, this year, the agenda is dominated by two pressing issues: the future of the Palestinians and the ongoing war in Gaza, and the urgent need for global climate action.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed his concern that efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels are in trouble. He warned that the Paris Agreement's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are at risk of collapsing due to insufficient climate action plans from countries.
Guterres urged countries to submit climate action plans fully aligned with 1.5 degrees Celsius, covering their entire economies and greenhouse gas emissions. He stressed that the international community should not feel intimidated by the risk of retaliation.
The current average global temperature is estimated to be 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer, according to estimates from the European observatory Copernicus. Containing global warming to 1.5C compared to the pre-industrial era 1850-1900 is the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, many scientists agree that this threshold will likely be reached before the end of this decade.
The delay in the submission of the NDCs, initially expected several months ago, is due to geopolitical tensions and trade rivalries. Less than two months before COP30 climate meeting in Brazil, dozens of countries, including China and the European Union, have been slow to announce their plans.
Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza has been described as horrendous by Guterres. He stated that the level of death and destruction he has seen during his time as Secretary-General is the worst he has witnessed. At the UN's climate summit in New York, co-chaired by Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Secretary-General expressed hope that the meeting will revive efforts ahead of COP30.
Israel's stance on the conflict remains firm. Israel has threatened to annex the West Bank if Western nations press ahead with the recognition plan at the UN gathering. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for annexation of swaths of the West Bank with an aim to 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state.'
The UN hopes the climate summit will provide a much-needed boost to climate action, but the future of the Palestinians and the war in Gaza continue to cast a long shadow over the UN high-level week. António Guterres is seeking to reignite the issue of climate change, which has taken a backseat to various crises in recent years, including the coronavirus pandemic and several wars.
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