In a speech given during his visit to Brasília on Thursday 6 February, as part of the preparatory discussions for COP30 with the COP President-designate, André Corrêa do Lago, the United Nations Executive Secretary for Climate Change, Simon Stiell, said that the switch to clean energy was now “unstoppable”.
“When $2 trillion flow into clean energy and infrastructure in just one year, as they did last year, you can be sure it’s not because of virtue signalling. That’s twice as much as in fossil fuels”, he noted.
The speech also comes against the backdrop of the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, to which the United States no longer wishes to adhere (see EUROPE 13562/13).
“A country may step back – but others are already stepping into their place to seize the opportunity, and to reap the massive rewards”, said Mr Stiell.
He went on to emphasise the need for rapid implementation of decarbonisation measures, stressing “the crucial role” of national climate plans (nationally determined contributions or NDCs). These are expected in September, so that they can be included in the NDC summary report, which will be shared at COP30 in Belém in November.
The European Union has yet to submit its NDC, which will result from the European Commission’s legislative proposal on the 2040 climate target (see EUROPE 13570/6). This objective will have to be included in a revision of the European climate law expected in the second quarter of 2025 (see EUROPE 13573/17). (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)