Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), says G20 leaders must signal clearly that international cooperation is humanity’s only chance of addressing climate change.
He spoke in a statement on Saturday ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit billed for November 18 to 19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
G20 is a group of twenty countries representing the world’s largest economies. Members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan.
Others are Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.
The UNFCCC executive secretary said G20 members must make global climate crisis a priority at the summit, as the world is watching and expecting a strong signal on climate action.
“As G20 Leaders head to Rio de Janeiro, the world is watching and expecting strong signals that climate action is core business for the world’s biggest economies,” the statement reads.
He emphasised the need for global climate finance flow from the conference of parties (COP) and outside the process.
Stiell asked leaders to ensure that progress is made to relieve developing countries of their debt burden by making climate financing grant-based and concessional.
