The United Nations will host a “no-nonsense” climate summit in 2023 to spur action from governments on the climate crisis, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says, as the goal of avoiding global warming of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius begins to slip out of reach.
Speaking at a year-end news conference on Monday, Guterres said the world was moving in the “wrong direction” on climate change and that governments had fallen short on their commitments to bring down emissions.
Guterres said the UN would host the summit in September with the aim of holding governments accountable and demanding tangible plans for improvement.
While an agreement was reached at the UN-sponsored COP27 climate talks in November to create a “loss and damage” fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, issues such as emission reductions and the phaseout of fossil fuels were not comprehensively addressed.
Guterres said on Monday that he would continue his push for a climate solidarity pact, which would require greater effort from the world’s largest emitters and provide more support for nations who require assistance.
