UN experts warned that fossil fuels must stay in the ground to avert the worst impacts of climate change, which was the critical issue at the center of ‘Energy Day’ discussions at COP27 this week.
The energy sector, responsible for more than two-thirds of global greenhouse emissions, is mainly powered by fossil fuels. While this brings electricity and transport to most of the world, it is accompanied by deep pain and loss to vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
According to the International Renewable Agency (IRENA), only 29 percent of global electricity generation currently comes from renewables, and carbon emissions continue an upward trend.
In her address at an event in Sharm el-Sheikh, the site of this year’s UN-facilitated climate talks, the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) chief, Inger Andersen, said: “We’ve barely scratched the surface. And the one year since Glasgow, frankly, has been a year of climate procrastination. By 2030, we need to reduce emissions by between 30 to 45 percent, but since COP26 we’ve shaved off one percent. So, we have a long way to go."
Ms. Andersen noted that we currently live in a world that has warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius since the preindustrial era, and we are already seeing an increase in storms, droughts, floods, and crop failures.
“The current policies take us to a 2.8 degrees world…It is important that we have a conversation about emissions reduction and who carries the load. The G20, which are meeting this very week... have a collective responsibility for 75 percent of all emissions,” she underscored, asking for these economies to invest in climate finance and “climate justice”.
Follow the latest news on Google News
