By Loren Koçollari
NEW YORK – Few topics united more than climate change in the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the general debate by immediately sounding the alarm on the climate change crisis. “The world must wake up. We are on the edge of an abyss – and moving in the wrong direction,” said Guterres, who warned that humanity could face a possible “hellscape” of temperature rise. His remarks immediately set the tone that was later followed by most of world leaders, in declaring stronger measures against climate change.
As the tradition goes, the first leader from the member states to speak at the General Assembly was the President of Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, who took many by surprise by committing to fighting climate change. “We anticipated, from 2060 to 2050, the goal of achieving climate neutrality. Human and financial resources, destined to the strengthening of environmental agencies, were doubled, with a view to eliminating illegal deforestation,” said the Brazilian President. Only a couple of months ago, the Rolling Stones considered Bolsonaro “the world’s most dangerous climate denier.” The magazine writes that around 25,000 square kilometers of rainforest in Brazil have been destroyed during Bolsonaro’s presidency. Not surprisingly, Bolsonaro’s remarks during the General Assembly raised skepticism among many of his critics. “The Bolsonaro government does not have any commitment to the climate. Under his presidency, all indicators in this area have only worsened,” said the Brazilian advocacy group Climate Observatory, as reported by Reuters.
U.S president, Joe Biden, whose speech came immediately after that of Bolsonaro, declared that the United States will invest more than $11bn annually, to “help developing nations tackle the climate crisis.” The media juxtaposed Biden’s multilateralism to the anti-globalism attitude reflected in Trump’s previous speeches in front of the General Assembly. At the other hand, analysts suggested that if Republicans could take back the House or the Senate next year, the chances that the U.S will quadruple climate aid to poorer nations will be reduced dramatically.
The United States remains along with China one of the two biggest carbon polluters in the world. Earlier this year, on 17th of April 2021, the U.S Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry and China Special Envoy Xie Zhenhua, agreed to cooperate to tackle climate change, by producing a list of actions that both countries would take in the coming years.
Meanwhile, during the high-level week at the General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping through a pre-recorded speech vowed to not build any new coal-fired power abroad. The Chinese coal power plants industry has been facing a lot of criticism in the last years, with scientists warning that the plants under construction in China would undermine its goal of carbon-neutrality. But the latest commitments made by Xi Jinping at UNGA 76 were considered by many as a sign that China is already preparing for its post-coal power plant phase. Back in 2020, at the 75th UN General Assembly, China had already pledged to become a carbon-neutral country before 2060. Following the same steps as the United States, this year Xi declared that China will also contribute to support developing countries in their fight against climate change. The announcements made by Biden and Xi were welcomed by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “This increased contribution from the United States will bring developed countries closer to meeting their collective commitment to mobilize US$100 billion a year in climate finance,” said Guterres, adding also that “Accelerating the global phase-out of coal is the single most important step to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach.”
While big member states committed to take further measures against climate change, small countries, and especially small islands, intensified their rhetoric against the slow response given to the many challenges coming from climate change. On this topic, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley speech became immediately viral. “Who will get up and stand up,” asked Mottley while invoking the Jamaican singer Bob Marley, “Who will stand up in the name of all those who have died because of the climate crisis, or who will stand up for the small island developing states, who need 1.5 degrees to survive,” repeated Mottley in front of the General Assembly.
According to the World Bank Group, Barbados is one of those countries that are particularly risked from climate change consequences. From a rise in sea levels to the intensification of tropical cyclones, Barbados no longer have the luxury of time when discussing climate change issues.
Another leader from the Caribbean region, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph E. Gonsalves did not hesitate to share his fears that the commitments made by big member states to fight climate change were not serious enough. “We fear the worst — more procrastination and the ducking of serious responsibility by the major emitters. On this, humanity is at the midnight hour. Can we meet the challenge? We may not live to find out the answer if the usual continues,” declared Gonsalves.
Many leaders declared during the General Assembly that they were looking forward to the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, that will take place between 31 October and 12 November in Glasgow, UK. For the first time since the Paris Agreement countries will review their results and commitments so far in the fight against climate change. According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, unless there will be serious and immediate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the rise of the temperature beyond 1.5 C or even 2 C compared to the pre-industrial level will be impossible.
Loren Koçollari is a 2021 fellow of the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship. He covered virtually the 76th United Nations General Assembly.
