UN Climate Change News, 13 July 2020 – In a virtual address today to the Oxford Climate Society, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa stressed the importance of a multilateral approach to addressing climate change, particularly in these difficult times of COVID-19. She pointed out that the pandemic also presented a rare window of opportunity to build a clean and climate-friendly future.

She outlined the stark choice facing the international community in attempting to recover economically from COVID-19: Either a “back to normal” scenario, where the global rise in temperature is on pace to more than double by the end of this century, or a “build forward” one, with policies that promote green growth, protect biodiversity and embrace renewable energy.

“Far from standing at the edge of the apocalypse, we stand instead at the precipice of a transformational moment in human history - a moment future generations will identify as pivotal; one that moved us from one era to the next,” she said.

The good news, she added, is that the international community doesn’t have to start from scratch to build forward, as the plan already exists in the shape of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. This is a crucial year for climate ambition, with countries submitting their national climate action plans, or NDCs, which happens every five years. This year, governments have the opportunity to spell out some of their post-COVID-19 recovery plans and policies in their NDCs.

Ms. Espinosa also highlighted how the work of UN Climate Change has continued unabated during the COVID-19 pandemic. June Momentum, held last month, was a series of online events offering an opportunity for stakeholders to continue exchanging views and sharing information in areas such as mitigation, science, technology, transparency, gender, and more. In parallel, the Race to Zero campaign was launched with the aim of mobilizing leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors who are working to create a resilient, zero-emissions recovery.

While acknowledging the scale of the task ahead, she concluded on an optimistic note: “We must truly embrace the long view of history and recognize that some generations are given the opportunity to truly impact its trajectory. This opportunity has been given to your generation,” she said.

See full speech:

It’s a pleasure to speak with a group dedicated to policy issues related to climate change.

While we’ll certainly talk about policy today, I want to begin with some context on how the world continues to address climate change during these difficult times—and why it must.

People throughout the world have been through a harrowing experience in the last few months because of COVID-19. The suffering is still widespread, and the end not yet in sight.

We’d be forgiven if we were to imagine the future and see nothing but a bleak, Dickensian dusk.

It’s bad out there. As Secretary-General Guterres recently said, if nations do not start pulling together, things will get worse.

We’ll reverse the incredible progress we’ve made in recent years to lessen extreme poverty and hunger. Access to vaccines will be reduced. Women and children, who always bear the burden of troubled times, will be even more vulnerable.

It doesn’t have to be this way. It is completely within our power to, as one leader famously put it, embrace the better angels of our nature. Today, that means addressing our challenges together, through multilateralism.

While we know that COVID-19 presents the single largest challenge to humanity since the Second World War, our anticipated recovery from it has opened a rare window of opportunity... an opportunity—if we have the willingness and fortitude to seize it—to build a clean, green, healthy and climate-friendly future.

I ask you to consider the possibility that far from standing at the edge of the apocalypse, we instead stand at the precipice of a transformational moment in human history...a moment future generations will identify as pivotal; one that moved us from one era to the next.

I’m not asking that you to hope that this will happen—only that you believe it’s possible.

Because once we believe something is possible, we can act…and action is what transforms possibility into progress. 

Progress means the development of plans and policies. It means strengthening logistics and legislation. It means identifying foundations we already have and perfecting them, rather than chasing the new and shiny.

Action also means making choices. And we collectively face a big choice if we truly believe post-COVID 19 recovery can lead to a better future.

Will we choose to “go back to normal”? The normal where global temperature rise is on pace to more than double by the end of this century? The normal where our oceans acidify at an alarming rate? The normal that makes deserts out of deforested land and overworked soil? 

Or will we choose to—not build back better, as some say, but build forward? To enact policies that promote green growth, protect biodiversity, embrace renewable energy and more? Will we accept that transportation can be different? Construction? Supply chains? Production?

This is the choice we face, the moment of decision for national leaders and businesses as they map out their post-recovery plans and discuss economic recovery.

Some already say that it is too hard, too tough, too bad for the economy, that mapping out a more sustainable plan for the planet will take decades. 

My response is simple: we already have the plan. It’s called the Paris Agreement and it’s one of the most successful multilateral agreements of modern times and a covenant of hope with the people of the world for a cleaner, greener, healthier, more climate-friendly future.

It’s reinforced by the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, which is a global plan to tackle some of the most pressing issues humanity currently faces.

I am invited to speak to many groups these days and they all ask me the same thing: what new policies do we need to build a more climate-friendly future?

I tell them: we don’t necessarily need new policies, we need nations to finish and enact the ones they already promised!

With respect to climate change, the biggest policy task nations had heading into 2020 was to complete their national climate action plans—or NDCs.

Under the Paris Agreement, each nation must submit a five-year plan that outlines exactly how they will tackle climate change. They’re due in 2020 and that deadline has not changed.

Why are these so important? And why are we so inflexible with the timeline?

Two reasons. First, science tells us that the window of opportunity to address climate change will likely close in the next five years. So, we need incredibly strong plans. By the next round of NDCs, we may be playing defence instead of offence.

The second reason is the one I just mentioned: nations can spell out some of their post-COVID-19 recovery plans and policies in these NDCs. Not in the distant future, but in the next six months.

While each plan is different, many cover policies addressing not only emissions, but also issues related to forestry, land use, energy, transportation and more.

Influencing the shape and the scope of these national plans is the single most significant action you can take to shape climate policies, programs and legislation for the next five years.

Those national plans were but one of three main tasks we needed to achieve from a climate change perspective in 2020.

The two other challenges include getting nations to complete their unfinished work with respect to climate negotiations.

Primary among that unfinished work is getting an agreement on how carbon markets will operate—a big part of the climate change picture. Nations made some progress at COP25 but we’re simply not there yet.

The third main challenge is to ensure nations—as well as businesses, investors and civil society—continue raising their climate ambition.

Alone, each of these three areas is significant. Coupled with a global pandemic, they are truly challenging. Yet, we have no other choice: Climate change has not stopped for Covid-19.

But neither has the work of UN Climate Change.

Perhaps you are wondering how this is possible, given that COP26 is delayed until 2021.

Let me assure you, we are busier than ever. Like you, we have simply changed the way we work.

We’ve held substantive discussions in almost every topic area, including adaptation, finance and capacity building.

Recently, we held the June Momentum, a series of online events offering an opportunity for stakeholders to continue exchanging views and sharing information in areas such as mitigation, science, technology, transparency, gender, and more.

We also launched our Race to Zero campaign.

Its purpose is to mobilize leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, and investors who are working to create a healthy, resilient, and zero-emissions recovery...one that creates jobs, unlocks inclusive sustainable growth, and reduces the risk of future shocks.

The coalition driving these net-zero emissions initiatives are setting interim targets in 2025 and 2030, and the response has been significant.

We’ve seen other progress as well.

114 countries have already announced they will enhance their national climate plans—the ones I spoke about earlier.

And 121 countries have committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

We are also encouraged that the majority of climate and environment ministers in the EU back a call to put the European Green Deal at the heart of a post-Covid-19 recovery. We continue to encourage the EU to continue showing global leadership.

Looking ahead, the Secretary-General has proposed six climate-related actions to shape the COVID-19 recovery.

First: as we spend huge amounts of money to recover from the virus, we must deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green transition.

Second: where taxpayers’ money is used to rescue businesses, it must be tied to achieving green jobs and sustainable growth.

Third: fiscal firepower must drive a shift from the grey to green economy, and make societies and people more resilient

Fourth: public funds should be used to invest in the future, not the past, and flow to sustainable sectors and projects that help the environment and the climate. 

Fossil fuel subsidies must end, and polluters must start paying for their pollution

Fifth: climate risks and opportunities must be incorporated into the financial system as well as all aspects of public policy making and infrastructure.

Sixth: we need to work together as an international community. The value of multilateralism in a global crisis is unmistakeable.

If we get it right, we can help steer the global recovery towards a more sustainable and inclusive path.

Again, we must remind nations that they already have a framework for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Ladies and gentlemen,

All of this is possible. We can build a better future. But we must first believe that it is possible and then act.

I know it can be difficult to be motivated when everything seems so bad. But we must truly embrace the long-view of history and recognize that some generations are given the opportunity to truly impact its trajectory.  

This opportunity has been given to your generation.

So, what will you do with it?

Are you ready?

You have the plan—the Paris Agreement. You have a path—the 2030 Agenda. And while you have a short window of time, I know you have the initiative. Youth around the world have significantly changed the climate change debate in just two or three years.

UN Climate Change is ready to work with you to do all of this and to build a future that is clean, green, sustainable and healthy for all.

I look forward to your questions.

Thank you.