Leadership by the G20 is Indispensable: Simon Stiell and Dr Sultan Al Jaber

COP28 President-Designate H.E Dr Sultan Al Jaber and United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary Mr Simon Stiell have issued a joint statement on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in India, urging G20 nations to show leadership on climate mitigation and adaptation.

Below are the excerpts from the joint statement by Mr Stiell and H.E Dr Al Jaber on of the outcomes of the G20 Energy Ministerial...

"With only 125 days to go, we must use every opportunity between now and COP28 to align action and political will going forward towards the common goal of closing the gaps across all of the pillars of the Paris Agreement and get on track to keep 1.5⁰C within reach."

Dr Sultan Al Jaber Urges Governments to Raise Climate Targets by September

"The G20 is responsible for 85% of the world’s GDP, but also 80% of the world’s emissions. Leadership by the G20 is indispensable to enable an inclusive and ambitious development agenda that demonstrates to the world that the transformation towards a net-zero and climate resilient world comes with great benefits for growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development."

"While the discussions at the G20 Energy Ministerial considered energy transition and aligning current pathways with the Paris Goals, the outcome did not provide a sufficiently clear signal for transforming global energy systems, scaling up renewable and clean energy sources and responsibly phasing down fossil fuels."

"This year, more than ever, unity is a prerequisite for success. Globally, the world has experienced its hottest summer on record, climate change continues to impact people every day, particularly the climate vulnerable, and they are looking to us to take decisive action."

"The signal we send for the conclusion of the first ever Global Stocktake at COP28 will be crucial. This cannot only look backwards, but should also set out a collective pathway going forward."

"A commitment to more ambitious action, across all pillars of the Paris Agreement, is needed to ensure a credible response to the GST and to strengthen the integrity of the multilateral process under the UNFCCC as a whole."

"The science demands a strong mitigation outcome at COP28 that drives a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and builds on the progress of previous COPs."

"We call on the G20 to lead the way on the basis of both science and equity, laying the path to a strong and credible outcome that provides developing countries with the basis to undertake a just transition."

"Together, we must take necessary steps to accelerate our inevitable decarbonization in a responsible manner, while enabling energy access for all, promoting sustainable development and supporting just transition."

"Tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements across sectors by 2030, including ramping up electrification and enhanced cooling approaches, is critical to enable this."

"We must not only address supply, but also demand, in particular transforming heavy emitting sectors."

"It is our hope that any progress achieved by the G20 drives strong outcomes at COP28 under the Global Stocktake and capitalizes on the Just Transition Work Programme established at COP27 to ensure that this transition is fair, leaves no one behind and supports the broad development challenges faced by developing countries in launching this transition."

"This should address the transformations needed under both the mitigation and adaptation agendas."

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