“Hope is reborn with each commitment and act of courage in defense of life and the preservation of the conditions in which it was given to us,” said Lula in his speech at the third and final session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit that closes on Tuesday in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
He also called on the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, to reach agreements to finance the fight against the climate crisis and not leave this task for the 2025 meeting in Belém, Brazil.
He considered that the Kyoto Protocol became a reference point for frustration in collective action.
“COP15 in Copenhagen was a trauma that almost derailed the climate regime,” he lamented.
He said that the Paris Agreement is arriving in Belém 10 years later and its results are still far below what is necessary.
“There is no more time to lose,” he insisted.
For Lula, the Group of Twenty (G2o), which brings together the 19 main economies of the world and the European and African unions, is responsible for 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Recognizing the crucial role of the G20, the Brazilian presidency launched the Task Force for Global Mobilization against Climate Change,” he said.
He indicated that for the first time they met with the ministers of Finance, Environment and Climate, Foreign Affairs and presidents of central banks to discuss how to face the climate challenge.
Now, he added, “together with Secretary-General António Guterres, I ask that the G20 engage in the joint global mobilization of Brazil and the United Nations to raise the level of ambition of the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
He estimated that it is essential that the new NDCs are aligned with the objective of limiting the increase in global temperature in one and a half degrees.
“Our compass remains the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. “This is an imperative for climate justice,” he said.
He proposed that developed members of the G20 advance their climate neutrality goals from 2050 to 2040 or even 2045.
“Brazil will continue to work with the UN and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on the Global Initiative for the Integrity of Climate Change Information,” he said.
After the end of this third session, South Africa will officially receive the presidency of the G20, during a handover ceremony at the Leaders’ Summit.
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