UN Climate Chief Urges Urgent Action With “Two Years” Remaining To Prevent Catastrophe

UN climate chief Simon Stiell cautioned in a poignant address titled "Two Years to Save the World" that there are only two years remaining to prevent a climate catastrophe.

Stiell urged nations to promptly enhance their climate strategies outlined in the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which he emphasised were insufficient to significantly curb emissions by 2030.

This is in contrast to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's advice, which stresses the necessity of peaking global greenhouse gas emissions before 2025 and reducing them by 43% by 2030 to cap warming at 1.5°C.

Stiell underscored the importance of a fresh climate finance agreement at the UN Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku this November, stressing its significance for empowering developing countries to bolster their NDCs.

He urged both developed and developing nations to reach consensus on a pact encompassing increased concessional finance, innovative funding channels, revamped development banks, and debt alleviation for the most susceptible nations.