President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) promised to use Brazil’s presidency of the G20, in 2024, to create a “task force for global mobilization against climate change”.
He made the statement during his first speech at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India.
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Brazil will assume the temporary presidency of the bloc in December and will define the main agendas for discussions between the countries for the following 12 months.
Lula did not provide further details on how such a task force could work or what powers it would have. In any case, such an initiative will only come to life if it is unanimously approved by the other members of the group of the world’s largest economies.
The president took advantage of the speech to also criticize developed nations for their responsibilities for global warming, as they have historically emitted much more greenhouse gases.
He recalled that rich countries committed, at the Copenhagen COP in 2009, to pay US$100 billion a year to help the developing world combat climate change.
“That promise was never fulfilled. There will be no point in the rich world arriving at future COPs boasting about its reductions in carbon emissions if responsibilities continue to be transferred to the global south,” he said.
Lula also defended the greater use of renewable energy sources and biofuel.
Later this Saturday afternoon (9), he will launch, alongside Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and American President, Joe Biden, the Global Biofuels Alliance – an attempt to promote ethanol and other green fuels in more nations.
In a veiled response to the criticism he received for coming to the G20 without having visited Rio Grande do Sul, devastated by a tropical cyclone, the president mentioned the state in his speech.
“Right now in Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Sul was hit by a cyclone that left thousands of people homeless and dozens of fatal victims,” he said after describing how climate change is impacting the world.
VIDEO — Lula is criticized for not visiting regions affected by rain in the South
Read Lula’s speech at the G20 summit in full:
“When he looked through the hatch of his ship, and saw our planet in all its plenitude for the first time, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin could not contain his enchantment, and said: “The Earth is blue”.
Seven decades later, the photographs sent by Chandrayaan-3 that India recently landed on the Moon’s south pole leave no doubt: seen from above, the Earth is still blue and beautiful.
However, the lack of commitment to the environment leads us to an unprecedented climate emergency.
Global warming changes rainfall patterns and raises sea levels.
Droughts, floods, storms and fires are becoming more frequent and undermine food and energy security.
Right now in Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Sul was hit by a cyclone that left thousands homeless and dozens of fatal victims.
If we do not act with a sense of urgency, these impacts will be irreversible.
The effects of climate change are not felt by everyone in the same way.
It is the poorest, women, indigenous people, the elderly, children, young people and migrants who are most impacted.
Those who have historically contributed most to global warming must bear the greatest costs of combating it.
This is a debt accumulated over two centuries.
Since the Copenhagen COP, rich countries have been required to provide $100 billion a year in new and additional climate finance to developing countries.
That promise was never fulfilled.
There will be no point in the rich world arriving at future COPs boasting about its reductions in carbon emissions if responsibilities continue to be transferred to the Global South.
There is no shortage of resources. Last year, the world spent 2.24 trillion dollars on weapons. This mountain of money could be channeled towards sustainable development and climate action.
In Brazil, we are doing our part.
The protection of the forest and the sustainable development of the Amazon are among my government’s priorities.
In the first 8 months of this year we reduced deforestation by 48% compared to the same period last year.
A month ago, we hosted the Amazon Summit and launched a new collaboration agenda between the countries that are part of that biome.
We also deepened dialogue with other countries with tropical forests in Africa and Asia, to articulate common positions between the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong basins.
Don’t just look at satellite photos. Under each tree, there is a woman, a man and a child.
Renewable energies, biofuels, socio-bio-economy, green industry and low-carbon agriculture must generate jobs and income, including for local and traditional communities.
The G20 must drive this effort, respecting the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities and valuing all three Rio 92 conventions: climate, biodiversity and desertification.
The best way to be ambitious is to ensure the success of the Paris Agreement Global Assessment Exercise, at COP28, and the negotiation of new quantitative targets.
To complement this effort, we will launch, during our G20 presidency, a Task Force for Global Mobilization against Climate Change.
We want to reach COP 30, in 2025, with a climate agenda balanced between mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and financing, ensuring the sustainability of the planet and the dignity of people.
We hope to count on everyone’s engagement. So that the beauty of Earth is not just a photograph seen from space.”
*with information from Leonardo Rodrigues, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
