World leaders should declare states of "climate emergency" to spur faster cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday at a summit marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord. Dozens of world leaders addressed the one-day virtual gathering, aimed at building momentum for more ambitious national commitments ahead of a pivotal round of climate talks due to take place in Glasgow in late 2021, according to Reuters. Guterres said economic recovery packages launched in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic should represent an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future — but said this was not happening fast enough. On the eve of the summit on Friday, co-host Britain had announced it would end direct government support for overseas fossil fuel projects, aiming to spur similar moves by other countries to accelerate a shift to cleaner energy. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the summit that countries could work together to radically cut dependence on fossil fuels, change agricultural practices, and reverse the process by which for centuries humanity has been quilting the planet in "a toxic teacosy" of greenhouse gases. Johnson said that this difficult year ends with a note of optimism, thanks to the unprecedented speed with which a vaccine has been produced, thanks to international efforts. This shows, said Johnson, that science can be used to protect the entire planet against climate change, by the "promethean power of invention" against the disaster of global warming. The Prime Minister declared that a "green industrial revolution" will create millions of high-skilled, high-quality jobs, and that the country is planning to become the "Saudi Arabia of wind power". The Summit has been labeled as the starting gun for the "the sprint to Glasgow", referring to the delayed UN Climate Conference (COP26) which is scheduled to be held in the Scottish city in November 2021. The yearlong sprint is a push for countries to announce even more ambitious and wide-ranging plans to curb emissions and make their economies "greener" and more sustainable. The virus wrought economic havoc on the world but, with the release of COVID-19 vaccines expected in 2021, economies will begin opening up, and the UN is spearheading attempts to ensure that the world will "build back better", rather than returning to a fossil-fuel dependent business as usual. For more on the UN's vision for a cleaner future, check out the climate change website, which outlines some of the ways that the world should rebuild, with six climate-positive actions, including investments in sustainable jobs and businesses, ending bailouts for polluting industries and fossil-fuel subsidies, including climate risks and opportunities in all financial and policy decisions. — Agencies
