UN Climate Change News, 17 February 2022 - UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, has underlined the critical role of the multilateral process in international climate efforts, stating that multilateralism remains "the world's vehicle for addressing climate change."
Citing the final package agreed at last November's UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, the UN Climate Chief highlighted the significance of approximately 200 nations, all part of the Paris Agreement, coming together and achieving consensus. This was "a victory for multilateralism," she said, whose ripple effects positively impact not only climate change, but other global issues.
She described the successful outcomes at COP 26 as "the most significant progress since the Paris Agreement was adopted." However, she cautioned that multilateralism is currently being outpaced by climate change and called on countries to turn that around.
Ms. Espinosa made the remarks today at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)'s (link is external) World Sustainable Development Summit, where she called for continued global action to reach for the highest possible goals, this year and at COP 27, to fulfil the promises of the Paris Agreement.
To meet these goals, the UN Climate Chief stressed the need for multilateralism to continue to evolve. In this regard, UN Climate Change has embraced "inclusive multilateralism," - going beyond its traditional definition and bringing more groups to the table, including non-party stakeholders such as youth, women, Indigenous Groups and many others.
This is essential to address the further work that remains to be done on emission reductions, adaptation to climate change, loss and damage, and on finance, to meet the goal of providing U$100 billion annually in support to developing countries.
Ms. Espinosa also called for much stronger national climate action plans (NDCs) and long-term climate strategies by all nations, especially G20 nations. She called on businesses to transform and become more sustainable and urged people to re-examine how they consume and to make choices resulting in a more resilient planet.
The multilateral achievements in Glasgow include: Completion of the Paris Agreement rulebook that enables countries to focus on implementing climate action; the trading of carbon credits becoming operational; completion of the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) which will build crucial trust between nations; and strengthening of the Santiago Network, providing technical support for countries to address loss and damage related to climate change.
A further major achievement at COP26 was agreement on phasing down unabated coal power, along with phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
See full statement below:
Good afternoon.
I warmly welcome all of you. I look forward to the time when we can again meet in person! I am cautiously optimistic we are moving in that direction.
Thank you to TERI for organizing this Summit. TERI is a treasured institution whose discussions on sustainable development and climate action have been influential for decades - in India and throughout the world.
These are the conversations we need to have globally in 2022.
This year, global efforts to address climate change begin from a somewhat different perspective. This is the result of the outcomes of COP26.
I'll talk about those outcomes today, but in keeping with today's theme of "multilateralism and global action", I want to address how the multilateral process was central to those COP26 outcomes, why it remains central to international climate efforts, and how it positively impacts other global issues.
Let's begin with COP26 and by acknowledging that while we achieved significant progress in several areas, not everyone got what they wanted. That's the nature of consensus. It's far from perfect and yes, I was also frustrated we couldn't do more.
I recall Frans Timmermans (whose speech follows mine) stating this eloquently in the closing plenary - this idea of knowing more could and should be done but recognizing Parties must move forward. Representatives from Island nations were equally - and rightfully so - vocal at the end of the COP.
Let's not forget: not all of us went back to homes in danger of being taken by rising waters. Many of them did. So did many other delegates and activists who are directly impacted by this climate emergency.
Nevertheless, the final package agreed multilaterally in Glasgow was the most significant progress achieved since the Paris Agreement was adopted.
Parties left with clarity on the work needed to reach the 1.5-degree goal.
The Paris Agreement rulebook was completed; an extremely significant accomplishment. It was a long and often contentious road to achieve it.
The rulebook paves the way for countries to move beyond the negotiations stage and to put focus where it should be: on implementation.
Because of COP26, we will now see carbon credit trading and a framework for non-market-based approaches become operational. When we talk of contentious issues, this was a big one. Achieving consensus was significant.
The enhanced transparency framework was also completed, which will build trust between nations.
Parties strengthened the Santiago Network, providing technical support for countries to address loss and damage related to climate change.
And it's a major achievement that the phasing down of unabated coal power was mentioned in the text, along with the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
Each item is deserving of a full discussion on their own. Each represents an incredible amount of work. Each represents multilateral progress.
Any notion, however, that we can "ease up" after Glasgow is misguided.
Even with the multiple challenges we face throughout the world, anthropogenic climate change remains the most significant, alarming and rapidly-escalating crisis facing humanity.
I could recite statistics to you all day. But I won't. You know them.
I'm confident that the IPCC report coming in a few weeks will likewise give us the prognosis that these impacts will continue to grow in severity.
Statistics are important, but they're static. It's what humanity does with them that's important. Wringing our hands momentarily then moving on achieves nothing. The science must instead be a catalyst for climate action. Here, I'm talking about concerted, transformative action throughout all sectors.
That's why Glasgow ended nothing. It simply shifted our collective work to a new phase: implementation of the Paris Agreement at the national level.
Nations now have an agreed blueprint and framework for implementation, have rules ensuring the transparency of the process, and are fully accountable to each other and - this is very important - accountable with respect to supporting each other in meeting their obligations under the Paris Agreement.
This work must begin immediately - in 2022.
The road ahead is difficult. Yet, we have reasons for optimism.
Because Glasgow also proved that multilateralism remains the world's vehicle for addressing climate change.
COP26 was, in fact, a victory for multilateralism. It didn't capture headlines, but its ripple effects positively impact not only climate change but other global issues.
For five years we heard multilateralism was in decline. That its influence was on the wane. That's not what we saw in Glasgow. Instead of rejection, we saw reaffirmation.
We saw approximately 200 nations, all part of the Paris Agreement - a global agreement that has near-universal membership - come together and achieve consensus.
Its reaffirmation gives us renewed faith we can address some of our other major challenges as well, especially those outlined in the SDGs.
It strengthens the base for the countless other issues humanity must address as well. I cannot state it enough: a multilateral victory for climate change represents a victory for multilateralism itself.
Is it a perfect process? No. It can be excruciatingly slow. Currently, multilateralism is being outpaced by climate change. Nations must turn that around.
Our job at UN Climate Change is to support nations in doing that. But nations are responsible to each other. They must continue to push, we will continue to support.
Multilateralism must also continue to evolve.
At UN Climate Change, we've done this by introducing "inclusive multilateralism". It's about going beyond the traditional definition of multilateralism and bringing more groups to the table.
We know that governments alone cannot provide all the answers, all the solutions or all the finance to address climate change. Our discussions include non-party stakeholders including youth, women, Indigenous Groups and many others.
We listen. We incorporate. And we include.
I've been a diplomat almost my entire career and I assure you that inclusivity - for all its complexity - is the only way forward. Nowhere is it truer than with respect to climate change, which is not a regional or continental phenomenon, but is felt globally.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have numerous areas which we must address on the road to COP27.
We need work on mitigation, on adaptation, on loss and damage, on finance. We need to ensure the $100 billion goal is met. We need much stronger NDCs and long-term climate strategies by all nations, especially G20 nations. We need businesses to transform, to become more sustainable. We need people to re-examine how they consume, to make choices resulting in a more resilient planet.
All of this is difficult. But we are making progress. We have the results of COP26 upon which we can build, and our multilateral base is now stronger.
I encourage you to keep moving forward. To never lose faith. To continue acting and to reach for the highest possible goals instead of the lowest-hanging fruit.
It's what 2022 must be about. It's what COP27 must be about. And that's what we need to achieve the promises of the Paris Agreement and to ensure the longevity and health of humanity on this planet, in the Anthropocene and beyond, must be about as well.
Thank you.
